Blush [Gwaine]

[Romily de Braose]

Romily was enjoying a rare morning of peace. Eldon had actually woken early and stated that he didn’t need her help? Had this man gone mad? Was he trying to make amends some way after being on the receiving end of Gwaine’s wrath last week? That had actually done some good as now Eldon’s attitude had changed towards her somewhat. For a start he’d actually said to her that his daughter could handle doing the mornings chores whilst Romily could beat the sheets and rugs from the guest rooms. An easy job so it seemed.

Romily got the sheets and rugs, heading down to the courtyard and hanging them up. She got the beater and proceeded to beat any dust and dirt from them. This could be useful when feeling like you wanted to take your anger out on something. Not that Romily was angry at anything or anyone at the moment. She had no reason to be.

“Morning Millie!” the stable hand greeted her as he passed, his arms full of the bits he’d need to brush down the horses that were currently in residence. “Nice weather we’re having today! Haven’t seen you out and about for a while now”

She grinned, “I’ve been given the privilege of beating the rugs and sheets”

The stable hand chuckled at this knowing that Romily never did a job like this – it was too easy for a start and Eldon’s daughter usually did all that. The relaxing jobs with hardly any work. “Old Eldon’s lost his mind” he commented

Romily shook her head, “Nope – just had a wake up call” she smirked at the recollection of Gwaine bribing the old landlord just to have her to himself for the morning. That had ended well, with her running after him and a horse in the rain before fainting and being taken back to the inn where she almost caught a fever!

“I’d best get back to work, have a nice day” he nodded and headed into the stables.

Romily continued to beat the sheets. But images continued to flash up in her mind.
“Those men you’ve met must be really crazy to even think about hurting such a sweet and beautiful woman like you. They must have been blind or are real fools.”

“Stop it!” she hissed to herself. She shouldn’t be thinking of that. Of Him.

“I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about you that’s calling to me. I like you, and I want to know more about you. I promise to return, Millie, and if circumstances prevent me from doing so, I will do my best to send word.”
“Shut up Gwaine!” she said to herself and then looked around to see if anyone was watching. They’d think she was loosing her mind if she was talking to herself. She shook off the last of her thoughts – why did they keep occurring to her? This made her have all the more reason to beat the rug on the clothesline even harder

Did men ever keep their promises?

[shonz]

A fine morning greeted him today, and Gwaine wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. It seems the Fates were with him, supporting him with encouragement on his plans with a certain someone. But while the bright sunny morning lifted his spirits up, his insides were anything but. He was every bit tensed and nervous, and couldn't seen to do anything right. He had worn his shirt backward, and if Sir Elyan hadn’t told him about it, he wouldn’t have noticed. He didn’t even eat much for breakfast for fear that he might throw up out of sheer anxiety. When the stable boy handed him his horse, he asked the boy to wish him luck, which only made the young one scratch the back of his head.

Now, riding through the forest with less than half an hour to his intended destination, Gwaine was wondering if he would ever make it. Several times during the journey, he had stopped, looked at the path ahead, and had almost made his horse turn back to Camelot. It wasn’t because he didn’t want to – oh, he wanted to reach his destination very much – it was because he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to calm down all the crazy nerves in facing her.

Her. Romily. Millie. That golden-haired barmaid of The Ram’s Head Inn. That beautiful goddess who had taken cared of him when he was drunk and ultimately took his breath…and mayhap his heart away. A week ago, it had all been carefree and fun...even though Romily got sick before he left. Now, Gwaine wasn’t so sure. He had never felt this nervous around any woman before, so why was he all uptight now? But he had promised her he would return. And he was a man of his word, a Knight of Camelot. Above everything else, he had honor, albeit it was covered by a bad case of nerves right now.

He saw her out by the stables dusting some rugs hanging on a clothesline, her back to him. Gwaine heaved a deep sigh before noiselessly dismounting from Leonie. He even placed his finger in front of his lips telling Leonie to hush and not give away their presence. His heart was hammering like crazy against his chest, but somehow the nervousness had instantly evaporated. It was now replaced by excitement at the mere sight of Romily.

“Scream or I’ll tickle you to death!” he spoke gruffly. Gwaine had silently crept up behind her, and was pointing two fingers by her side, a mischievous gleam on the corner of his eyes. He really wasn’t sure if Romily was ticklish or not, he just thought it would be fun to see her reaction.

[Romily de Braose]

Romily was too busy beating every last bit of dust out of the rug to even notice what was going on around her. Would he come back and see her? or would he end up just like other men she'd met. Absent.

She stopped beating and ran the back of her hand across her brow. This was tough work, even for Eldon's daughter. She wondered what else she had to do today. It felt strange not being in the bar and outdoors. Romily was an outdoors type of girl when it came to it, but circumstances reguarding her job seemed to allow her outside less these days.

She heard a voice from behind her, sounding a little threatning. She felt her heart immediatly jump up into her throat. She could identify that voice anywhere. Immediatly she felt her stomach turn.
Gwaine.

Romily turned on her heel coming face to face with her. She felt as though she looked more relieved than shocked at his coming. "Gwaine?" she breathed and looked shyly down at the dusty ground. She never though he'd actually come back. Mind you, it was a week later and he had promised her.

It was then Romily felt as though Gwaine would be different to any of the other men she'd met, and she couldn't feel anymore nervous as she did now.

[shonz]

She had stiffened at the sound of his voice, but while Gwaine had expected her to beat him senseless for scaring her, she only turned all too eagerly to face him. But then again tickling anybody to death wasn’t exactly that scary a threat. Still, he liked that she seemed pleased upon seeing him although that look of relief on her face made him wonder what she had been thinking before he got there.

“Good morning, Millie,” he greeted her properly this time, his eyes lighting up with the smile on his face. He took her right hand in his, brought it to his lips, and then gently kissed it. When he looked back up to her, he paused. “Is everything all right? You looked mighty relieved to see me. Has Eldon been giving you a hard time again? Has he been giving you orders left and right? Did his daughter leave you to serve the tavern patrons all by yourself again?” Squeezing her hand, Gwaine launched into a tirade of sorts, barraging her with queries about that slave driver master of hers and her equally incompetent daughter. If that were the case, he would have to give Eldon another piece of his mind…or of his gold, maybe. He didn’t like the last bit though. It sounds as if he was paying for Millie’s services, like she was some harlot for rent. Of course, she wasn’t, and Gwaine hoped he didn’t have to resort to that. He didn’t want Eldon to treat Romily badly for anything he had done or didn't do.

“So are you ready?” he asked her eagerly. “Leonie’s ready, and so am I.”

Now Gwaine hadn’t really told Romily what he had in mind for them today. Last time he was here, he only told her he would come back and visit her again. Gwaine wouldn’t want to be stuck inside the tavern, tempting as the tankards of cold ale may be. It was all too beautiful a day to waste inside a depressing inn with an equally depressing lot of a master and daughter tandem. Gwaine wanted to take Romily away from that place even just for a day, and he hoped she wouldn’t mind.

[Romily de Braose]

She blushed as he took her hand in his and kissed it, the aftermath of it being one of burning where his lips had touched. “Good morning Gwaine” she greeted him with the same formality now, smirking slightly.

“Everything’s fine” she shook him off, “in fact – Eldon has been treating me far differently than before, ever since you gave him that talking to. I don’t know whether to be relieved or concerned” she smiled and caressed his hand that was still held onto hers, “and Eldon’s daughter is just how she’s always been – far to engrossed in her own life to even notice me”.
Romily couldn’t help but feel a rush of warmth well up within her. He really did seem to care for her, and yet they’d only met once the previous week. Usually she wasn’t as drawn in as she was now.

It was like the moth to its flame.

She chuckled lightly and looked over Gwaine’s shoulder at where Leonie was patiently waiting. She walked over to the horse and stroked it’s mane, “Hello again Leonie” she smiled and grabbed an apple out of one of the many barrels waiting to be devoured by the resident horses. She looked back at Gwaine and smiled, “she’s just as good mannered as when I last met her!”. This was true – Leonie appeared to be enjoying her snack and butted Romily’s arm. This was either out of thanks or that she wanted more apples. Romily was only more than happy to give her a few more.

She frowned at Gwaine’s next question. “Ready?” she asked, “Where are we going?”

Eldon would kill her if she just went waltzing off with one of the punters for the day. Then again, what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, and now she was beyond caring of the outcome, after all she had Gwaine here to protect her if she needed it. Now she felt safe.

[shonz]

Gwaine listened when she told him that Eldon had been treating her differently, better actually, since the last time he was at The Ram’s Head. That was good to know. Honestly, he had no idea what he’d do to Eldon if he finds out that he was making Romily work as hard as before. Somehow, he couldn’t bear the thought of seeing her being maltreated like that. It just doesn’t suit her, and of course, it’s not right for anyone to be treated that way. If Romily hadn’t told him that Eldon had helped her, he probably would have lashed out on the man more. But it seems, Romily owed Eldon her life so Gwaine was willing to forgive.

It was weird why he was investing such feelings and concern for Romily. Sure, he was attracted to her like he had always been attracted to pretty barmaids. But this behavior right here, this was strange coming from him. He should know. He had never cared for anyone like this before. Well, of course maybe except for Merlin who had been a good friend, and then Arthur, who is more than just a master to him. And Guinevère who like a sister to him. But towards a woman he had barely known…no.

He watched quite fondly as she moved towards Leonie and fed the horse apples, which Leonie was only too eager to accept. “Of course, like owner, like horse,” Gwaine teased. He wondered quite amusingly how Romily would react to that. Gwaine hadn’t exactly been good mannered when he was drunk and Romily had to suffer through all his drunken rant. He had to let her know somehow that was a rare thing. He was tired from the long journey and he had drank a little too much.
 
“Where are we going?”

“Somewhere far away from here,” Gwaine replied with that same mischievous little smirk on his face. He looked back towards the tavern to see if anyone was looking at them from the windows, and saw no one. But then he realized that despite everything that had happened between them so far, he was still a stranger to Romily, so Gwaine went on to assure her, “By a knig---“ he stopped himself, knowing he almost said ‘knight’, and then corrected himself. “By a nice man’s word to his horse…I promise to return you here before the sun sets. I’m not going to kidnap you and sell you to the slave traders.” How Gwaine wanted to kidnap her and just take her away with him, but of course, he can’t. “If it’s going to make you feel any better or safer, you can tell the stable boy you're with me.”

[Romily de Braose]

Romily couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of Gwaine’s words basically saying that the last time they’d met he’d been good mannered. “Indeed” she nodded, still chuckling away, “although I don’t think that trying to coax me into your bed counts” she looked at him knowingly, “but I forgive you”.

She could see him watching her with some amusement as she fed Leonie. “I haven’t had this much time to dote on a horse in ages” she exclaimed, “and I must say I miss it”

Romily couldn’t help but feel her stomach turn every time she looked at Gwaine. It was in a good way – she wasn’t sure why she was so drawn to him. Perhaps it was because he was actually taking the time to make an effort. He also had shown that he cared for her. This was something that had stuck out in her mind. Gwaine had also voiced his thoughts about it too – when she was ill. She needed to dig deeper and find out about him – he was one that made her ever the more curious.
When he told her he was taking her somewhere far away she couldn’t help but hide her smile or relief. “Good” she told him; “because I really need to see some sunlight” she looked up. Clear blues skies – just how she felt at the moment. How much more ironic could you get?

She frowned as he stopped himself from saying something. “What?” she asked, that had been strange. Gwaine was now correcting himself. What had he meant to say that he’d had to stop himself? Romily was curious about him – he was no bandit, but the again he certainly wasn’t any ordinary nobleman. She nodded anyhow and laughed at his oath to have her back at the inn by sunset.

“Well then, If I have your word then I see no problem in going with you” she gave him a mock curtsey, something that she hadn’t done in ages. “I’ll tell the stable boy anyway – and then if Eldon questions my whereabouts I have an alibi – one moment” she told him and headed into the stables, telling the stable hand where she was going and with whom. There was the raise of the brows and a nod. It was obvious that there would be some talk in the tavern when she returned.

“Well then – are we ready?” she asked Gwaine, coming out from the stables, “Take me away from here” she chuckled

Hopefully he wouldn’t bring her back.

[shonz]

Hearing the laughter from her lips and watching that smile on her face made the day even brighter and sunnier than it already was. He couldn’t help but laugh as well when she mentioned about him coaxing her into bed with him and then forgiving him. Gwaine gave her a small bow in apology and said, “The lady knows all too well that I hadn’t been in the best possession of my senses then. I am forever grateful for your patience, and for taking care of me.”

He could clearly see that she was very fond of Leonie. For someone who hadn’t had much experience with horse as she had told him before, that was a surprise. Usually, people tend to be afraid of them. “Then Leonie is all willing and able to be doted upon by a lady as lovely and fair as you, Millie,” he replied as he, too, reached a hand out to fondly stroke his horse’s think mane.

He hadn’t expected her to say yes right away, but Gwaine couldn’t deny that undeniable leap inside his chest when she agreed to his plan. While he had hoped that she didn’t catch his fumble, he was mistaken. But then Gwaine tried to ignore it, and keep a casual face as best as he could. Nodding, he waited for her to return from the stables. At least, Eldon wouldn’t say that they ran off without notice. If only they could, Gwaine thought wistfully.

“Take me away from here.”

A wide smile flashed on his face when Romily returned all willing and ready. “I definitely will, but first we need to stop by the marketplace for some food. I don’t think there are provisions where we’re going,” he told her quite mysteriously, as if they were going to some remote place that no one has ever been to before.

He took Leonie’s reins, and then started leading her towards the marketplace which was a only a couple of blocks away. It was a good thing it wasn’t too crowded this time of the day, and Gwaine made a beeline towards a stall selling some bread and pastries. “What would you like to eat? Pick anything you want. My treat,” he told Millie with a wink.

[Romily de Braose]

Romily smiled at him. He seemed quite apologetic for the previous week. “If it’s any consolation, I’ve had worse” she smirked and carried on stroking Leonie, “Mind you – none of them were as charming to me as you have been”. Leonie carried on butting her head against her arm, only too glad of all the attention she was receiving, Romily chuckled, “If I have any more leftovers for you then you can have them later”. She felt like a mad woman talking to a horse but did it all the same. Leonie was Gwaine’s prized possession so it seemed, and Romily was more than happy to treat her like she was a prized possession too.

She scoffed on hearing herself being described as fair and lovely, “im far from it” she told him, “Well – in my father’s eyes I am”.

Romily was very curious to know where on earth Gwaine was taking her, he seemed to be keeping it under wraps and thankfully she knew that it would be as far from Eldon as possible.
They walked to the market place where already the stalls were out with the local traders of the area calling out to any and everyone to buy their wares. Romily always came down to the market to collect supplies for the inn when needed, so she knew all the locals like they were her own family.
Gwaine had now stopped in front of the stall selling bread and pastries. It was run by Lottie Smith, the baker’s wife who was a very robust woman with kind eyes and a smile to match. She appeared to look particularly interested in the fact that Romily was with a man, and an unknown one at that. Romily knew that there would now be talk around the village.

“Is this your sweetheart then Millie?” she asked, “Fine looking man I must say” she nodded in approval. “Come on then, you young lovers must want something other than a chat to an old woman”.
Romily felt a burning in her cheeks, “oh, he’s…well…” she didn’t look at either Lottie or Gwaine, this was too embarrassing, she had no idea what to class Gwaine as without offending him, or at least making him feel that way.

Lottie gave a small smile, “well I’d keep hold of this one, otherwise all the young girls around here will be after him”, it was then she turned to Gwaine, “and you treat our Millie right young man, she only deserves the best, poor lass - running that inn all by herself most days – it’s a wonder she hasn’t become ill because of it”.

Romily prayed that Lottie would now stop talking, yes she was a lovely woman and had been one of the first to welcome her when she’d arrived, but Lottie could be awfully blunt at times and unfortunately it seemed to be now. Romily was determined to turn the conversation back onto the question that Gwaine had asked earlier “Oh, you choose, I really don’t mind” she smiled up at him, praying that the redness in her cheeks had now disappeared.

[shonz]

Gwaine was looking at the spread of bread and pastries before them when the woman behind the stall spoke to Millie. He couldn’t help the smile on his face when the woman talked about him as Romily’s ‘sweetheart.’ That sounded nice, and Gwaine felt something hot rise against his cheeks. He turned to look at Romily and saw that she, too, was blushing red. Well, what do you know? She’s just as affected as I am. The thought made Gwaine feel a couple of inches taller and mightier.

And it seems the woman wasn’t about to stop there. He continued to survey the bread before them, and then looked up when he realized that she was now talking to him. “That is the plan, ma’am. I’m taking her away for the day for some rest and relaxation. Heavens knows she needs it,” Gwaine told her with a sincere smile. Then quite conspiratorially, he leaned across the display and whispered to the woman. “Millie has been sick actually, and I’ve given Eldon a piece of my mind about it. But I can’t do it alone. I would welcome your help in knocking some sense into that man’s head.”

When Romily gave back the task of selecting some bread for them, Gwaine went ahead and chose a few good ones which the woman eagerly wrapped for them. She even gave them a discount when Gwaine paid for it. He thanked her profusely before Gwaine took Millie’s hand and led her to another nearby stall, this time with fresh and delicious fruits on top of the table. To other people who might be watching, they look like one sweet and loving couple who are buying groceries for their home.

Gwaine was in such high spirits after that chat with the bread lady that he gave the same story to this one right here. The fruit lady gave them a basket full of fruits in it, wishing them a good day ahead. Gwaine grabbed an apple and sliced it with his dagger. He then offered the slice to Romily, placing it in front of her mouth for a bite. “Now that I know that they’d give generous discounts to your friends, I will be coming here more often to shop for my provisions,” he told her with his trademark grin. It was refreshing to see how well the villagers treat Romily, and it came as no surprise to him. While they didn’t like Eldon and his daughter, they all doted on Romily like family, and that gave Gwaine more confirmation of the kind of woman she is. Of course, he already knew she was, the villagers only strengthened it.

Something caught Gwaine’s attention at the corner of his eye, and turned to Romily in haste. “Go ahead and get more food for us, maybe something to drink. I’ll be right back,” he told her as he grabbed some gold coins from his bag and gave them to Romily. He then tuned and rushed after a man with a heavy load just as he rounded a corner.

[Romily de Braose]

Lottie’s words seemed to have made Gwaine react too because Romily could’ve sword that she saw him blush slightly too. When Gwaine leant in and spoke to the old woman, Romily frowned. What were they talking about? Her? She became a little paranoid especially as the older woman nodded and said, “I’ll keep my eyes and ears peeled – you take care of her, she needs a man to keep her on her toes”. Romily pretended to be looking on the stall as Gwaine paid for the bits and took her hand.

She looked down at it and then back up at him, giving him a weary smile. Why was it that he (the one who had openly flirted and even tried to coax into his bed) had the power to make her give into such a fiery temptation inside her. The temptation being Gwaine of course. She’d never felt like this and she barely knew him. She never even felt it with Frederick and that was saying something – then again, Frederick had been a prime example of an idiotic egotistical man.
Romily then found herself blushing again and looked away, finding something or someone to watch who was in the marketplace. She could feel her tiny hand in his just clinging on gently, afraid that if she dropped it then she’d melt away from him. Many villagers, who were out buying or selling, were giving small glances their way. If they thought that they were discreet then they were mistaken. To them, it seemed as though ‘their’ Millie (as they referred to her) was finally being treated how she should be for once. The villagers were all very close and to her, they were her family by love, although one look at how they looked after her and you would think it was a family by blood.

They came to a stall where fruit was being sold by Martha and her small granddaughter, who was looking very bored. As soon as she saw Romily she jumped up and ran to her with her raggedy dolly in her hand. “Rommy!”. She lifted the child up as she reached her and swung her round. “Hello Hannah” she grinned. “Have you come to buy some fruit?” she asked as she toyed with her dolly.

Romily smiled, she liked Hannah – she would often follow Romily around the market when she came to collect her bits and sometimes she would look after her if she got too much for Martha, who was struggling to feed three other grandchildren as well as Hannah. “I have indeed, and here is your payment for the day” she squeezed the child and swung her around again.
Once she’d finished giggling Hannah looked towards Gwaine and frowned, “Whose that man?” she asked

“This is Gwaine” she smiled and put the girl down despite the protests. “Are you going to marry him?” Hannah asked, but at that moment Martha interrupted, “Hannah! Come now leave Millie alone” she turned back to Gwaine who was already paying for the fruit.

As they walked away Gwaine cut a piece of apple for her and placed it in front of her mouth. She looked at him mischievously and delicately bit off a small piece. “Very sweet” she smirked as they carried on walking. She didn’t try to make it clear as to whether she meant Gwaine or the apple. “And they are like family to me, I take care of them and they do so for me in return. Any friend of mine is a friend of theirs too – although I dread to think what they might do if I were hurt. Many of them don’t know about how Eldon treats me behind closed doors though and so I’d like to keep that from them, otherwise im out of here if he finds out – things do not stay secret in this village for long”

She was surprised when Gwaine suddenly thrust some coins into her hand, telling her to get a drink or something before printing off after a man. “Gwaine? Gwaine where are you going?” she called and sighed. The amount of money he’d given her was enough to buy the whole market so it seemed. What was he up to? More importantly, should she be worried about it?

[shonz]

Gwaine fondly looked at Romily and Hannah as they exchanged a lighthearted moment. When she asked if Romily was going to marry him, he laughed heartily. He couldn’t help his imagination run wild with him as images of Romily playing with a little boy with hair as golden as hers but eyes as light and mischievous as his own came into his head. Realizing what he was thinking about, Gwaine shook his head to clear the thoughts out. Not that he didn’t like them, he just felt it was too early to tell. No, he wouldn’t risk going into the direction so soon. Not yet, at least. But he couldn’t deny that it was a heartwarming thought, a future he wouldn’t mind having if the Fates would will it.

Listening to Romily speak about how the villagers loved her and how they’d protect her from Eldon somehow eased Gwaine’s worries. But then he frowned when she told him she didn’t like the villagers to know how Eldon treats her. “You really should stop protecting Eldon like that when he’s not even treating you right. I’m sure there are other tavern owners out there who would gladly welcome a pretty and hardworking barmaid as you,” he remarked more to himself than to Romily. More than anything, he wanted to know exactly how Eldon had helped her for her to be so forgiving to him like that.

When he ran after the man, Gwaine didn’t look back when Romily called out to him. He disappeared around the corner, and it wasn’t after some ten minutes later that Gwaine emerged with a couple of packages under his arm. He found Romily by one of the other stalls, and smiled that trademark wide grin of his when he arrived by her side. “Did you get anything while I was away? We need to get going, I’m hungry,” he said making a funny face at her, and taking the basket of fruits and their other goods from her hands. Gwaine didn’t give her any hint or talk whatsoever about the packages he had with him. “Unless there’s something else that you would like to get before we leave…It’s on me,” he added giving her his full attention.

[Romily de Braose]

When putting Hannah down, Romily could see that Gwaine’s mind looked elsewhere. She’d love to know what he was thinking of. His home? His own family. Romily adored Hannah, she’d love to have a little girl one day would have golden hair that she could put up, or a little boy to chase around. Romily had already told herself though that she would never marry, but there was no harm in thinking about it – for now, Hannah made up for whatever was missing, whether she was someone else’s daughter or not.

As they walked away she shook her head at Gwaine, “I know I shouldn’t protect him, but I know that if anyone knew just what goes on behind closed doors then I would be homeless and jobless at the same time. I have nowhere to go Gwaine, and I’ve always said that I would never go home either. Im happy here, with the people and the job and if it’s just one person that is not treating me well then who am I to complain? Everyone else here treats me just fine” she smiled warmly. She knew that he held a certain amount of concern for her. Gwaine seemed to be the type of man who didn’t tolerate unfair treatment, but at some point everyone in their lives had experienced it. It was just one of those things that you had to grin and bear with.

Romily watched as Gwaine diapered and sighed. She decided to get them some drinks, after all – it looked set to be quite a warm day and she wasn’t about to faint on him again anytime soon! She paid for the drinks and saw that he was now returning with two packages under his arm. Her brow furrowed slightly, “What was that about?” she asked when he was close enough to hear her.
What on earth was he planning, even that grin of his wasn’t going to fool her, and something was defiantly going on here. “And I got us some drinks, it looks set to be quite a warm day” she grinned as he took the basket off of her, “and there’s nothing – I think everything is here”. She looked up at him and smiled again, slipping her tiny hand into his.

“Shall we go?”

[shonz]

Gwaine only shrugged when Romily asked him about the packages giving her a wide sheepish grin. “You’ll find out soon enough,” he told her as they started walking towards where they had left Leonie. When he felt her slip his hand into his, he gave her a heartwarming smile before giving her hand a gentle squeeze. Holding her hand and walking through the marketplace with no care in the world felt all natural and nice. Gwaine wanted nothing more than to have this moment frozen right there, or perhaps wish for it everyday. The latter seemed impossible though knowing their distance. As much as he would want to visit her day after day, his knightly duties in Camelot would prevent him from doing so. He will have to make do with weekly visits.

He couldn’t help but think hard about what she told him about Eldon, and wondered if telling Romily who he really was would help make things easier for her. She seemed to like his company now, and Gwaine was actually afraid that if he told him he was really a knight of Camelot, she might stay away from him…or worse, decide to stay with him because he was a knight, and not because she felt something for him. Why that mattered Gwaine didn’t know. Never had he taken this much care with regards to other women before. Somehow, it mattered to him how Romily felt towards him, that’s why he wanted to take things slowly and carefully.

When they finally reached Leonie, he placed their basket on the ground and helped her onto his horse, before taking the basket and giving it to her once she was seated properly. “I’m afraid we’ll have to share Leonie if we’re to get to our destination fast,” he remarked before mounting swiftly himself, sitting behind Romily. “I hope you’re comfortable,” he said as he wound his arms around her waist to take the reins and get Leonie moving.

From where he was sitting behind Romily, Gwaine could smell the sweet scent of her hair, and he tried hard not to be distracted by it. The feel of her body against his own was sending all kinds of thrills through him, and Gwaine had to concentrate hard on the path ahead of them to avoid leading Leonie the wrong way or, worse, stumbling onto a rough patch.

[Romily de Braose]

She could feel a small tingle as he squeezed her hand as they made their way towards where Leonie was patiently waiting for them.

“Are you sure that Leonie wouldn’t mind the extra passenger?” she asked as Gwaine helped her onto the horse. Leonie didn’t seem to try and kick her off or anything so Romily knew that she was safe.
Gwaine had seated himself behind her now. She remembered what it was like to ride Fira – she’d felt free when she’d ridden her through the forests of Carmelide, but that was years ago and now Romily was hoping that she wouldn’t fall off Leonie!

She had no idea whether it was the right time to tell Gwaine about her true status. She’d almost nearly let it slip when he’d first met her. She couldn’t tell him. For all se knew he could be like Frederick, a man who only wanted a trophy on his arm. If, however, things were to carry on as they were, and something else would come of this new friendship, then Romily would be more than willing to come clean to him eventually.
She couldn’t risk having her heart broken again though, but if it did then she’d have to just carry on like everyone else.

Gwaine still wouldn’t tell her what was in the packages so she wasn’t about to ask him. He had seemed pretty quiet since they’d set off – she couldn’t tell whether he was just enjoying the scenery or felt uncomfortable, but then again, why would he when he’d held her hand? Or perhaps that was what he’d felt uncomfortable about. Great! Now she’d gone and ruined it.

His arms were round her waist, well at least that was a good sign, and so she thought. She kept one hand securely placed over his, not just for the possibility that she might fall, but it was comforting. There was something about his touch that had her wanting more, but at the same time she was at a loss of how she should act. She let out a small breath, hopefully it wasn’t loud. And looked over her shoulder at him. “You seem quiet?”

[shonz]

Gwaine hadn’t realized that he had lapsed into quite a long silence just as Leonie had been steadily taking the path he had initially led her to, as if she knew the rest of the way. He had only snapped out of his thoughts when Romily had spoken to him, and Gwaine only pulled her closer to him in silent response. “I was just trying to feel how comfortable you are on a horse. And it seems you are quite a natural,” Gwaine told her, totally a far cry from what he had really been thinking. He couldn’t tell her exactly what it was in his thoughts now, could he? “See, I’m getting a tad bit impatient to get to this place…” His voice trailed, not even finishing what he was he talking about.

Instead, he only kicked his heels against Leonie’s side, and Leonie talking the cue, started to increase his speed. “Correct me if I’m wrong, you seem the type who liked to feel the wind whipping against your face,” Gwaine said against her ear just as Leonie started speeding through the path. In no time, his horse was running fast and steady, and Gwaine guiding her through trees and bushes, ducking her and Romily through low lying branches as they maneuvered through the forest.

When they emerged between trees and arrived at a wide clearing, Gwaine slowed Leonie down. “How was that?” he asked Romily with a wide grin on his face, his face red with the excitement and exhilaration from the run. “Tell me if you want more and I’m pretty sure Leonie would want nothing than to get us there right away.” From Gwaine’s calculations, it shouldn’t take them less than an hour to get to their destination if they take full speed.

And it would be like hitting two birds with one stone. If they ride fast, not only would they get there soon, it would also help Gwaine forget about how the feel of Romily’s body against his own was distracting him. The sooner they get there, the sooner he could put some distance between them. Not that he didn’t like being near her, because he does more than anything, he just thought he needed a breather, to put himself together. It was crazy what Romily was doing to him without even trying. Her mere presence was affecting him, and Gwaine knew he had to do something about it soon else he’d burst from keeping it all in.

[Romily de Braose]

She chuckled at his comment about how natural she appeared on Leonie. “Im a fast learner” a small smirk crossed her lips, “and hopefully it helps that Leonie likes me, after all if she didn’t im sure she would’ve made it quite clear by now”.

As Leonie speed increased, Romily felt freer than ever. With the wind in her hair she knew that in twenty-four hours she would be back to reality again, serving locals and cleaning up after Eldon. She’d have to make the most of this day with Gwaine, it strange how she now felt it a little strange when he wasn’t around. “Wind whipping against my hair?” she laughed, “What on earth made you think that?” Romily asked as Leonie slowed down.

Romily wondered how long it would take to get to wherever Gwaine was taking her. It couldn’t be that far away surely? Then again it seemed Gwaine was always one for surprises so she expected this to be something else that he had up his sleeve. “How much further?” she asked after a little while. There had been silence for a good few minutes now.

She was sure that she could sense something in Gwaine’s manner that was making him and his thoughts become sidetracked. Romily squeezed his hand, earlier he’d been talking happily but now he seemed to be quieter. The Gwaine that she had first met had not appeared quiet at all.

“You really do seem like your thoughts are elsewhere,” she laughed and looked back over her shoulder, “I can’t decide whether that is good or bad”.

[shonz]

He couldn’t help the small laugh that emerged from his lips at the smirk on Romily’s face as she told him how she was a fast learner. That indeed she was, Gwaine thought, and doubted what she had told him before about her inexperience with horses. “I think you’re holding out on me, and Leonie knows it. She’ll probably wait until we’re totally away from civilization before she bites your head off,” Gwaine teased, laughter still evident in his eyes. He liked that he could joke with her this way. It was light and carefree, and Gwaine hadn’t had one like it for a while now. His encounters with barmaids were often superficial, mostly sexual, but Romily broke all those stereotypes for him, like she really wanted more from him.

“Wind whipping against my hair? What on earth made you think that?”

Gwaine shrugged and playfully smirked. “I don’t know. Something about you screams ‘I want to get out of Eldon’s inn and never come back’.” When she asked him how much further they were, Gwaine playfully rested his chin on her shoulders and looked sideways at her. “Are you scared, Millie? Scared that a handsome and mysterious stranger is taking you away from The Ram’s Head, and might not take you back anymore?” he asked, his eyes twinkling with light mischief. Gwaine wondered truly if Romily had any reservations towards him. She barely knew him after all. To have her say yes to his invitation today was actually quite a pleasant surprise.

When she called him out about his wandering thoughts again, Gwaine had to chuckle with her, and suddenly felt rather shy. How was he to admit that he had been actually thinking about them, about this rather strange yet pleasant feeling he had for her. “Do you really want to know?” Gwaine asked, suddenly turning serious. As if on cue, his heart hammered madly against his chest, and didn’t wait for a response from her as he planted a kiss on her shoulder blade. His hand tightened around her waist as his lips moved up to kiss the crook of her neck, before gazing into her eyes as she looked back at him, their faces barely inches from each other.

Slowly, Gwaine moved his lips towards hers, hopefully now, with no rain and thunder around them like last time, he’d be able to finally finish what he had started. But before his lips could even brush against her own, he was jolted out of the spell as Leonie suddenly lurched forward and hastened across the clearing. “What the--Leonie!” Turns out, Gwaine had absentmindedly clicked his heels against Leonie’s side, and the horse had taken it as her signal to run hard and fast again.

[Romily de Braose]

She smirked when Gwaine mentioned that Leonie would turn on her. “I doubt that, she already knows that I feed her apples and that there’s plenty more back at the inn”. Speaking of Eldon, Gwaine was now giving her an answer as to why he thought she might enjoy the breeze in her hair.

She couldn’t help but smirk again; Eldon was exactly the reason why she wanted to get away. “No one wants to be a barmaid, not even those who spend most of their evenings occupying the inn residents beds – it’s a job that brings many advantages to it though, and of course, many disadvantages”. She stated and looked back at him, “why would I be scared of the handsome stranger taking me away, when he clearly knows that I’d rather be anywhere else with him, than back at the inn serving flagons of ale?”

She heard Gwaine asking whether she really wanted to know, she nodded and felt his lips press against her shoulder blade. Ok, she hadn’t been expecting that! She then felt them move to her neck. Defiantly NOT expecting that! She then found herself staring at him. “Gwaine?…” she asked as they both moved in.

“What the--Leonie!”

Romily laughed as Leonie slowed down again after setting off at full pace. “And so it begins! She’ll want to bite my head off for sure now that she knows what was about to happen”.

She turned back to Gwaine and ran a hand down his cheek. If he were going to tease her like before, then clearly she’d have to get her own back. She made sure that her face was close to his, just like it had done before, her forehead almost touching his That would really send him crazy.

“Now…where were we?”

[shonz]

Did she just say she wanted to be anywhere with him? Well then, that solves everything for Gwaine. Now, if only he could get all the courage he could muster to tell Romily exactly what was on his mind rather than risk being interrupted by an overexcited horse or an angry flash of lightning. Romily may not have noticed it, but her words had actually given him more courage to get on with the kiss than ever before.

His gaze turned intense when he felt her hand run gently down his cheeks. He felt a good kind of electricity where her fingers touched his skin, and Gwaine had to turn his head slightly so he could just plant a good one on the palm of her hand. But her hand wasn’t the one he wanted to kiss right now, and it seemed she, too, was just as determined as he was to get this kiss done well and perfect.

Closing his eyes, Gwaine breathed a small thanks before seizing the moment. His hand reached out to cup her cheek. He lowered his lips down to hers and finally captured them in one sweet and passionate kiss that spoke of all the strange but passionate feelings he had been holding back for her. Like a hungry man, he took and tasted with gusto. But like every caring man, he too gave back. While basking in the sweet glow of their first real kiss, Gwaine, too, worshipped her and adored her.

When they finally pulled back for air, Gwaine rested his forehead against her own and gave her a tender smile. “I think we were somewhere there...” he spoke, a bit breathless. Then a small impish smirk formed on the edge of his lips. “I don't feel I got that right though....like I missed a turn. How about this one?” And then he lowered his head yet again and took her lips into his own once more, this time, in a more passionate and demanding kiss.