Blush [Gwaine]

[Romily de Braose]

You could cut the tension in the air around them with even the bluntest of knives. She cold tell that he was about to crack and she knew that she was doing a very good job about keeping herself rather stable and not caving into temptation first. She could tell by the way that he’d planted the kiss on her hand, that she was sending him crazy.

Eventually he was the one to give in, cup her cheek and press his lips to hers. It was at that moment Romily could feel the butterflies in her stomach finally setting themselves free and dancing around as though it were to song. He was kissing her as though they were lovers who worshipped the ground they both walked upon. Romily couldn’t help but give into him a little more every second. There was something about Gwaine that was like a poison that her body craved, and without it – she would find herself weaker than she’d started out.

One hand slid round to rest on the back on his neck whilst the other was kept pressed firmly against his chest. She could feel his heart beating quite fast, she could feel her own just the same, as though they were joined together in union. Eventually their lips broke free of one another’s and Gwaine gave her a smirk, saying as though he felt as though he missed a turn. “Not right? What was not right about tha…” she was but off as his lips brushed against hers once more.

He was what she needed, what everyone had told her she’d needed for a long time. Someone who would take care of her and who would sweep her off her feet. She never thought she’d find someone like Gwaine though. Someone who had such a fiery passion and concern that she now felt as though she would melt just by looking at him. She’d never felt like that with Frederick, he’d never swept her off of her feet, taken her away from her demons, kissed her with such adoration that it would spark all around them. Gwaine was her saviour, and whether he would stay that way or not didn’t need to be answered right now. Not when everything could feel so possible and so right at this moment in time.

[shonz]

How was it possible to have everything feel so right and so perfect in one moment? The kiss was anything and everything he had been longing for but had never really found in all his years wandering Albion. Flirting with barmaids here and there had been a good past time, and if truth be told, he wanted and needed the warmth and comfort their beds could provide, too. Being all alone with no family and home to call his own, Gwaine had turned to finding temporary affection in their company. But while the women wanted to spend the night in bed with him, Gwaine found out that that was all they really wanted from him. Nothing more. And if he could be honest with himself, he knew the women would gladly give their body but never their hearts to someone like him.

Not Romily. From the moment they first met, he knew she didn’t want him like all barmaids did. She didn’t fall for his charms or wiles, but still managed to care for him while he was in that shameful drunken state he was in. She was holding something back, and that had intrigued Gwaine. Somehow, it pulled him to her like honey to a bee. He could tell that her past had hurt her a lot, and quite surprisingly he had found himself wanting to be there and help her get through it. And she had accepted that offer. She had trusted him willingly, like no woman had ever done before. It seems she wanted him for what he was, and not for what he could physically give her. No, not a night in bed with him, but some true and sincere company. Gwaine wanted just as much as well.

When they broke away from their second kiss, Gwaine held her tight from behind and just stayed there, wanting to bask and indulge in the beauty of the moment. Turns out, Leonie had finally taken them to their destination, near the edge of a cliff, and both he and Romily were now looking out at the wide expanse of mountains ahead. “Looks like we’re here,” he whispered in her ear. He didn’t want to move away from Romily just yet, but Gwaine knew they had to get down from the horse and give Leonie her rest.

Hesitantly, Gwaine jumped off the horse, and helped Romily down after taking their goods from her. He led Leonie towards a nearby tree and tied her to where she could nibble on some grass and leaves. Then he walked back to where Romily was, and took one of the packages he had brought from the man at the marketplace from the basket. He pulled out a thick blanket, and spread it on the grassy ground nearby. “The man was peddling some fine textile, and I thought I’d get something that we could use,” he told her with a smile as he took the basket and laid all their food onto the blanket. He reached a hand out to her, and then led her to their little picnic spread. “It’s not much, but I hope you like the view and the tranquility.”

[Romily de Braose]

They were finally there. Leonie had come to a stop. A cliff? Romily then looked at the view. It was utterly amazing. Words couldn’t describe just how beautiful it was. “Wow” she gasped, taking it all in. it was the perfect place, “how did you…how did you know about this place?” she asked. The mountains were very picturesque.

He helped her down off of Leonie and tied the horse to a tree, returning to her and then proceeded to pull out a blanket, explaining about why he’d made such a hasty exit earlier. He put all the food onto the blanket and then had the sweetness to say that that it wasn’t much” Romily smiled at him. “It’s perfect, it really is” she gestured to the surroundings, “this place, it’s just amazing – the view, how calm and quiet it is” she sat herself down on the blanket and moved her hand across the top of his.

No one has ever done anything like this for me before. They’ve never so much as taken an interest, but you…” she paused, “You’ve gone out of your way to make this just so, special – Im just lost for words right now.” She placed a hand on her chest.

Romily had never felt or received this much attention before. It felt so right, and not the least it strange as she’d expected it to be. “Why do it?” she asked. She really wanted to delve deeper into Gwaine. She needed to know him more than she already thought she knew.

[shonz]

Romily was asking him questions now, and while Gwaine didn’t want to reveal who really was just yet, he thought it was okay to tell her what his life had been before becoming a knight of Camelot. Besides, he’d have more stories for her from that part of his life after having been a vagabond for almost a decade. He had only been a knight for a few months. They wouldn’t matter right now.

“I’ve been to almost all corners of Albion in my many travels. Gwent, Mercia, Camelot…name it, and I’ve certainly been to it. Couldn’t stay in one place for a long time. This right here is just one of my favorite places to go whenever I want to be alone by myself,” he told her as he took out some bread, broke it in two and gave half to Romily. He was glad she liked the place. He had at first been worried that she might not find it fascinating after having been used to the hustle and bustle of running a tavern and an inn.

“I’m glad to be doing this for you. You needed a rest away from Eldon and all the work at the tavern,” Gwaine told her when she expressed her gratitude. It was refreshing to see her so happy like this. Her eyes lighting up with mirth and with none of the weariness there that he had seen last week and earlier this morning. He was glad to be the one to do that to her.

“Why do it?”

At her question, Gwaine finally decided to come clean about his feelings. He took her hand in his and took a deep breath before speaking. “Millie, you know I like you very much. And…” It was suddenly so hard to say his feelings out loud, and Gwaine felt rather nervous at being put on the spot. This was so unlike him. Usually, he was always so fluent in articulating his so-called feelings to other women, but with Romily, he was at a loss for words. “I know I’ve only known you for a short while, and you may not believe me when I tell you this." He heaved another sigh, and then looked her in the eyes. "I want to be with you, Millie. I really do. You make me feel all these crazy feelings that I’ve never felt with anyone before. And I want to give you something back. I want to make you happy. I want to make you content. I want to be the man who could wipe away all your troubles and just bring a smile to your lovely face.”

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it long and sweetly before putting it against his cheek. “The kiss had been amazing for me, but I won’t pressure you into giving me an answer right now if you don’t want to. I just want you to know exactly how I feel, and that I'm willing to wait,” he told her.

[Romily de Braose]

“Millie, you know I like you very much. And…”

This was it; he was going to say that he didn’t want to see her anymore. She could feel her heart almost ripping into tiny pieces now.

That was when it all came out. "I want to be with you, Millie. I really do. You make me feel all these crazy emotions that I’ve never felt with anyone before. And I want to give you something back. I want to make you happy. I want to make you content. I want to be the man who could wipe away all your troubles and just bring a smile to your lovely face.”

Her heart jumped into her throat at that moment. He wanted to be with her? her? Little Romily? Before she knew it, she was pressing her lips against his. He continued as she pulled away again. “Me? You want…me?” she asked, finding it a little hard to believe.
“I know we just kissed back there, and it had been amazing for me. But I won’t pressure you into giving me an answer right now if you don’t want to. I just thought you should know exactly how I feel and that I'm willing to wait,”

She looked at the ground and smiled. “I can’t make you wait, even if I wanted to.” The words now started to flow out, “Gwaine, you are the first man to not actually try and make that many passes at me – when we first met I admit that I thought you were…different, but now I can see just how different.” She paused, “You make me feel like im just…well – you make me feel so alive – I was thinking earlier about how strange it’s been this past week and how stranger it would be not having you in my life.”

This was it, “I feel the same, and anywhere you go – I want to go too, I don’t want to have to hide anymore. I like feeling like this, you make me happy just by walking in the room. Even everyone has commented that there’s something different about me lately and I know what it is. It’s you” she smiled. “You, just making me happy”

She looked to the ground again, her voice now shaking slightly, “Without you – I just…I feel lost”

Wow....now she felt really stupid. She'd never admitted her feeling for anyone before, but it felt right. She and Gwaine felt right.

[shonz]

It was crazy how nervous he was, and how nerve-wracking this whole situation was for him. Gwaine only just realized that he had never truly and madly felt this way towards anyone before. Hence, this was practically a first time for him. Sure, there had been the casual flirtation and the endless infatuation with other women, but they were never as intense as his feelings for Romily. He had to admit it was rather scary to be putting his true feelings out there and run the risk of being rejected.

When she told him she couldn’t make him wait, he was tempted to stop her from talking. Is she rejecting me now? Is she only being too kind in not prolonging my agony by ending it right there and then? Gwaine suddenly felt his nervousness double over, wishing she would think it over first and not give him an answer right now. He did say he would wait, did he? But when she started talking, he realized his anxiety was uncalled for. How his heart soared at hearing the words leave her mouth, telling him that she felt the same way towards him.

“Oh, Millie,” was all Gwaine could say. “I promise to be that and to be more for you. You don’t know how happy I am right now,” he told her laughing and not really knowing what to say. He pushed himself off the blanket, and just rushed towards the edge of the cliff where he shouted at the top of his lungs, “OI! SHE WANTS TO BE WITH ME, TOO!” Gwaine couldn’t stop the laughter from bubbling out of him, from the sheer joy that was overflowing from within him right now. He knew he was a naturally happy kind of guy, but he had never been this happy before. “YOU HEAR THAT, ALBION? SHE LIKES ME, TOO!” The mountains echoed his words back to him, and Gwaine rushed back towards Romily with laughter still in his eyes.

He pulled her up from the blanket, and wound his arms around her waist. Then without word or warning, he lifted her and swirled her around as his laughter rang through the air. “Leonie, did you hear that?” Gwaine heard Leonie neigh in response before he turned to look at Romily there in his arms. He took a breath and steadied himself, smiling at her. “I’m here now, Millie. You will never ever feel lost again,” he told her as one hand reached up to caress her cheek. For a few seconds, he just looked at her as if memorizing every bit of her lovely face, and then he cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her yet again with even more passion and emotion than ever before.

[Romily de Braose]

She couldn’t help but laugh as Gwaine’s face lit up when she’d finished. Obviously he’d been expecting rejection. She wondered if any other woman had turned him down before. Perhaps the villagers had been right, perhaps Gwaine could be the one to take care of her? Romily felt some relief that they had both come clean about their feelings. Nervous or not she now felt as though whatever happened, happened for a reason. Hopefully more good than bad.
He was so happy that he got to his feet. “Gwaine?” she frowned but he was already off and running to the edge of the cliff. What? Was he about to jump off of it? Had he actually been faking it? “Gwaine what are you doing!” she called. Thankfully he was now shouting out so that everyone in Albion could hear him. Obviously he was happy. His eyes confirmed it.

She laughed as he came running back and pulled her to her feet, swinging her around. “Gwaine! Really!” she chuckled, “Now put me down!” but he was on a high and now talking to Leonie, who merely gave a small neigh before going back to eating. Obviously Leonie didn’t care for love, or the joys it could bring. She was only a horse after all. “Anyone would think that I’d said something that was music to your ears” she laughed and watched him walk back over.

“I’m here now, Millie. You will never ever feel lost again,”

As he kissed her she felt as though she was being lifted up even though it wasn’t Gwaine that was physically doing so. As they pulled away she ran a hand down his cheek again and leant her forehead against his. “I love it when you call me that” she told him and smiled. There was something about the way he said her name that almost made her heart want to melt. “I don’t ever want to have you leave me again”.

Romily knew that this was the start of something. The start of something that could be so perfect, and she was prepared to do whatever it took for it to stay that way, then again it wasn’t that impossible if Gwaine was with her.

[shonz]

“Anyone would think that I’d said something that was music to your ears.”

She was more than right. Her words were nothing but sweet melody to the ears of a man who had been starved of any real and genuine affection for years. If only Romily knew how much it meant to him, to feel so strongly about someone and to have that someone feel the same way back. It was beyond amazing. Gwaine never knew such a feeling ever existed. Could it really be? Could he be sure to say it soon? Could it truly be...love?

When they broke from the kiss, he closed his eyes and relished in the feel of her tender fingers against his cheek. He planted a soft kiss on the tip of her nose as their foreheads touched, and Gwaine just wrapped himself in the wonderful moment right there. Not even the melodious chirping of the birds around them could rival the breathtaking music that was playing inside him right now. So this is what it feels, Gwaine thought.

“I don’t ever want to have you leave me again.”

Her words struck him deep, and Gwaine could feel his heart swelling up at the emotions that were blossoming from within. He had heard such words from many other women before, but none were as earnest and real as those that left Romily’s lips. What does she mean by that? Does she really want him that much to want him to stay with her for as long as possible? Gwaine didn’t know how to react or respond. He was speechless. In a good way.

Knowing he needed to say something back, he took her hand and then placed her palm over his chest, over his crazily beating heart. With a small smile, he looked into Romily’s eyes. “They say promises are only made to be broken, but I give you my word that unless you tell me to leave, I will stay by your side forever,” Gwaine replied with all sincerity and fervor.

Such big words, but standing there, holding her hand over his heart, Gwaine could easily see himself being with Romily for a long time. Sure, he didn’t know her much, and she didn’t know him much back, but Gwaine surprisingly was more than willing to take the risk. All he knew is that he wanted to be with her, and spend as much time as he could with her. Everything else didn’t matter. They have all the time in the world now to get to know each other. Right now, she was all he wanted.

He led her back to their little picnic spread. Gwaine sat in the middle of the blanket, and gently pulled Romily to sit in front of him, leaning her back against his chest, as he wrapped his arms around her. They looked out to the beautiful expanse before them, of Albion’s mountains and plains, all abundant with nature’s treasures. Such beautiful treasures and gifts from the Maker, but to Gwaine, they all paled in comparison to this one treasure and gift he had right there in his arms.

“Tell me, Millie, are you not afraid? You barely know me, and yet you have welcomed me into your life so easily,” he asked.

[Romily de Braose]

She felt comfortable just lying there on the blanket in his arms. It was as though the final piece of a puzzle had been put into place to complete the whole picture. The view was amazing and she had never even considered such circumstances as this when she had been a noble. It would be improper – to fall in love with a man at first sight. Love? Wait? Was this how love felt? She’d never felt anything like it before, not even with Frederick.
If her father had seen her now he would have gone mad. Romily was more surprised at herself – was it too early on? It felt crazy but so right!

“Tell me, Millie, are you not afraid? You barely know me, and yet you have welcomed me into your life so easily,”

Romily thought for a moment. In fact it was longer than a moment – it was true, and she never really trusted anyone anymore unless she knew them well – but there was something about Gwaine that made her feel as though she’d known him all of her life. In the end she came to the conclusion that with all the kindness and concern that Gwaine had given her – she just wanted to be loved and to love in return. Was it so much to ask?

“Believe me, I have never done anything like this. Past experiences have left me meek and without a nature like this one. But now? Now I feel myself saying ‘Why not? Why not give it a chance, after all we only have one shot at life so just live it”. She smiled, “You don’t exactly know me either – we have all the time in the world” she told him, “But how about we start off with you – I know for certain that you are no bandit”

She couldn’t help but laugh as she said this. He’d told her he was a bandit when they had first met – then again he hadn’t exactly been in the right state of mind. “So go on…surprise me, and then perhaps I shall tell you a little more about me”

[shonz]

Never had things felt so right and so perfect in his life than now, just sitting there and basking in the wonderful glow of the moment. Gwaine loved the feel of her head resting comfortably against his shoulder, her body warm and soft against his chest, and her hand entwined fittingly with his own. He breathed in the tantalizing smell of her hair as they wafted through the air and into his nose, assaulting him like crazy. He would gladly drown in them for as long as possible.

He waited patiently as Romily considered his question. He liked it that she took her time answering it. It meant that she was pondering about it, not wanting to give him a hasty response. Part of him was a bit afraid though. What if she truly was afraid? What if his question only made her realize that what she was doing with a stranger like him was foolish? Gwaine couldn’t bear the thought of seeing her walk away from him. He couldn’t imagine not spending another moment with her after they had just bared their feelings to each other. No, he would fight for her. He’d do his best to keep her.

When she spoke, her words made Gwaine feel anything but worried anymore. She was right. He was taking the leap himself. They both don’t know each other, and yet they had both risked it all. Knowing that Romily was willing to give their relationship a go despite everything, Gwaine promised to make it all worthwhile for her.

“But how about we start off with you – I know for certain that you are no bandit.”

Gwaine laughed at that. He knew that story would never stick with Romily, what with him throwing money here and there when he was at the tavern and just today at the marketplace. And of course, there was the matter of his clothing. Too expensive, too noble-looking, to be those of a mere wandering bandit. But he couldn’t tell her who he really was exactly. Not yet.

“You’re right, I am no bandit. I am too handsome to be one,” Gwaine teased as he grabbed another apple from their pile of food and bit on it. “How about we make it into a game? I tell you something about myself, and then swear it over something that we have here with us, an apple or a piece of bread. If you believe what I said, you will let me keep that thing I swore over. Otherwise, you can take it. And vice versa.” Gwaine said his eyes twinkling with excitement.

“I swear on this delicious apple that I have been to all corners of Albion. I have been to Gwent, Mercia, Camelot…all the kingdoms. I’m quite the wanderer,” he told her. “If you believe that, I can keep this apple. If you don’t, this half-bitten apple is yours now.” It was fun, this little getting-to-know-you game that Gwaine made up on the fly. He was excited to know what Romily would tell him about herself.

[Romily de Braose]

“You’re right, I am no bandit. I am too handsome to be one,”

She laughed at this and kissed his hand. “But you can be my bandit” she smiled. Dear lord if her father were to know what she was now doing he wouldn’t just lock her away, but would kill her. Luckily for her she was never going to see him again – but what if he was the one who came looking for her? If she had still been living at Wolfhall a noble woman, would he accept Gwaine as her choice? Probably not. But that all didn’t matter now. What mattered were the present and the future.

“The bandit and his barmaid” she snorted. It all sounded too good to be true.

Gwaine then went on to talk about a game, which involved telling each other about themselves. She watched him pick up an apple and take a bite out of it. “I swear on this delicious apple that I have been to all corners of Albion. I have been to Gwent, Mercia, Camelot…all the kingdoms. I’m quite the wanderer,”

Romily looked down at the blanket and smiled. “I believe you” – why shouldn’t she? After all there wasn’t anything about Gwaine that made her suspicious of him. “So…what exactly is it that you do? After all you look very much like nobility” she smirked. She didn’t care whether this flawed the rules of the game or not.

Romily then took a piece of bread and held it up. “I swear on this – well, quite smallish - piece of bread, that I have never received such attentions from another man, quite like this before.”

Sure yes, there had been many men that had given her attentions but they had never gone to the lengths that Gwaine had. She wanted to keep him forever.

[shonz]

“But you can be my bandit.”

Gwaine couldn’t help the joyous laughter at the thought. The bandit and his barmaid, indeed. Now, how he wanted to be a bandit now, and just whisk her away from there and take her with him wherever. “I would gladly be your bandit. I would whisk you away to far away lands and let you live in the filth of the roads with no money of our own…just our love to see us through…” Gwaine mused more to himself than to Romily. He had not meant to utter the word “love”. He didn’t even notice it slip out of his lips when he spoke. The thought about traveling the lands with this golden-haired woman beside him was all too exciting a thought to let go. He’d gladly be a wanderer forever if it meant he’d wander the worlds with her.

A smile appeared on his lips when she told him she believed him, and took another bite from his apple. He held it in front of Romily for her to take a bite from as well. “Thank you, and for that I will share with you my apple,” he said with a grin as he chewed on the sweet-tasting fruit. Her next question made his smile falter a bit though, but Gwaine managed to keep it back up again without missing a beat.

“Hey, no questions! I make the rules here. You ask a question, you get tickled. Are you ticklish, Millie?” Gwaine didn’t even wait for a response. He moved his hand down to her waist and tried to look for a ticklish spot hoping to get her there. Laughing, he snaked his hand freely around her waist, over her flat stomach, hoping to stumble upon her tickle spot...and hopefully, make her forget her question.

When it was her turn to give her information, he smirked and grabbed the small piece of bread from her hand and ate it. “I don’t believe you,” he told her with a grin. “A beautiful lady like you must have been treated to more of this. Sorry, Millie, I know I have a lot of competition out there, and I will work hard so you will not regret your decision in having me.”

Gwaine looked Romily in the eyes when he said the last words. She was beautiful like a princess or even a queen. Too beautiful to be a barmaid, in fact. And it wasn’t just outward appearances, Romily was beautiful inside and out. She had a kind heart and a warm sincere smile that men all over the world would travel far and wide just to take for their own. He knew he considered himself one of those men.

“I swear on Leonie that I have never felt this way towards any woman before. I would gladly give my life for you, Millie. I don’t know what it is that you do to me, but I love it, and I…” He wanted to say ‘I love you,” but stopped himself not wanting to frighten Romily by declaring how strong his feelings were for her so soon. “I…would give anything to keep you.” He leaned his head in, and gently planted a soft kiss against her jawline before moving it down to the crook of her neck, moving a tad bit slowly and gently. The smell of her hair intoxicated him, and he was indeed like a man drunk in his feelings for this amazing woman.

[Romily de Braose]

“I would gladly be your bandit. I would whisk you away to far away lands and let you live in the filth of the roads with no money of our own…just our love to see us through…”
Her heart skipped a beat as the word ‘love’ was thrown in there. He loved her? She looked to him, “You…you really love me?” she asked.

She looked up at him as his hand moved around her waist and over her stomach. She felt as though she was going to melt. She grasped his hand and smirked at him. “I am quite ticklish, but im not about to tell you where – you might just take advantage of me”. She couldn’t care less if he did or not, she just wanted to be with him. “And I don’t care for rules – now answer the question” she narrowed her eyes and smirked again, moving up and placing a long and lingering kiss on his lips “or else”.

Gwaine then didn’t believe her. Of course he wouldn’t, she knew that he would have guessed other men might have taken an interest in her in the past – but none of them had shown her any light like Gwaine had. “There is no one else I want but you,” she told him sincerely. “Just you” she kissed him lightly again, “and only you” she said against his lips.

“I swear on Leonie that I have never felt this way towards any woman before. I would gladly give my life for you, Millie. I don’t know what it is that you do to me, but I love it, and I…“I…would give anything to keep you.”

“Anything?” she asked as he kissed her again. “Ok then…what would you give? Even though there is no danger of you losing me”.

Romily wondered just how far Gwaine was prepared to go to actually ‘keep her’. She would go to the ends of the earth for him if she had to – she’d even do something drastic if it meant never being able to lay eyes on him again.

That was when she truly knew she was in love, that her heart would always belong to him and would never be replaced.

[shonz]

“You…you really love me?”

“What?” The question had taken Gwaine by surprise, and he kicked himself mentally for reacting like he was shocked to hear the words. Romily would probably think now that he was only casually throwing the word away and not mean it. Then with a sigh, he composed himself, and shifted so she would be facing him. He took her hands in both of his and held them tight. “Would it be wrong of me to say that I do? Would you think me thoughtless and insensitive to say the words so soon?” More than anything, Gwaine didn’t want Romily to think him a womanizer, one who would take love and women for granted. He may have been flighty and flirty, but that was before he had laid eyes on her.

Ahhh…so she was ticklish now. That was a good information that he could use to his advantage later. But when she insisted that he answer his question, Gwaine gave her a small smile. “Does it really matter that much to you, Millie? If I tell you I am a prince or a lowly pauper who steals handsome clothes, would it change the way you feel about me?” Gwaine didn’t know why he didn’t want to tell Millie who he really was. What was stopping him? He knew she wasn’t the kind of woman who would love a man because of his status in life, but still, he didn’t feel like bragging about him being a knight. Not yet, at least.

“There is no one else I want but you. Just you, and only you.”

Gwaine reveled in the lovely feeling of her lips against his own. He would never tire of her kisses. In fact, if he could have it his way, he’d gladly kiss her day in and day out, every second, every minute, every hour of every day. How he had longed for her kisses the first time he met her, and he still couldn’t believe she was giving them freely to him now. “I’m glad to know that. I will have to tell my wife that I now have a mistress,” Gwaine teased her, a wide grin on his face. He wondered how Romily would react to that.

“Ok then…what would you give? Even though there is no danger of you losing me”

“I would give Leonie,” Gwaine replied with a twinkle in his eyes. “She means more to me than all the riches in the world, second only to you. And I would give my life. If you tell me to jump off of that cliff right now just to prove that to you, I would.” Crazy as that may sound, Gwaine would do it, if it would guarantee him her love. Of course, her love would be nothing to him if he were dead, but it was the thought that counts, didn’t it? “I would give you anything you ask. The moon, the stars…” he added with a chuckle.

Then remembering their little game, he decided tocontinue. “I swear on my sword…” he said and then grabbed his sword from here he had placed it earlier on the blanket. “…that I hate nobles with all my heart except for a chosen few. I especially hate the King of Gwent for being so selfish and cruel. I grew up in Gwent, you see, but I don’t call it home anymore. Did I ever tell you that?”

Gwaine was slowly telling Romily every bit of his past that mattered now. He could tell her about his past. Stories about his present would have to wait. It was up to her whether she would still accept him. “Tell me more about you,” he spoke gently as he took her hands in his again.

[Romily de Braose]

“Would it be wrong of me to say that I do? Would you think me thoughtless and insensitive to say the words so soon?”
Romily shook her head and smiled. “Not at all – no one can help what is in their heart – whether they be words or actions” she replied, “so no I don’t not think of you like that – I think it rather brave”.

It was. Romily hadn’t been expecting Gwaine to admit that he loved her, nor she admitting it to him herself “Does it really matter that much to you, Millie? If I tell you I am a prince or a lowly pauper who steals handsome clothes, would it change the way you feel about me?”

“Nothing would ever make me change the way I feel about you – I promise that” she told him, “I couldn’t care less about whether you were a peasant or a very rich man – the only reason I ask is because it would be quite nice to have some insight into what you do, after all – something important must have taken you away from here last week when you had to leave”.

She laughed when Gwaine told her what he would give, everything that seemed so impossible so it seemed. She looked away from him and smiled. She couldn’t give him anything brilliant in comparison. “The only thing that I could give you is…well…just myself – and my love. Im just a barmaid after all” she said this quietly. If she had been a noble then she would’ve made sure she gave him everything she possessed.

He was from Gwent? She shook her head when he asked if she knew that. “I did not – I’ve passed through Gwent on my way here” she admitted. He hated nobles. Great. She couldn’t tell him that she was a lady and her father was actually a lord from the Carmelide court. She could’ve told him if she wanted, but now he’d said that she decided some things wee best left unsaid. If he hated nobles, then he’d hate her.

Romily looked down as he took her hands in his. “Im from Carmelide” she told him, “I used to live there with just my father – my mother died when I was young and so I brought myself up. It was a few years ago when I arrived at Eldon’s inn – I’d been wandering for quite some time and was lucky when he not only offered me a roof over my head, but a job too.” She took a deep breath and then decided to tell him more.

“On my travels I met a Knight when I stopped off at an inn – he was called Sir Frederick l'Adoube .” Ok sort of true but twisted so she didn’t reveal too much of her past, “I was mistreated and ever since then I’ve always hated Knights. I know I shouldn’t have let one incident make me completely biased about them – but since that, I’ve never trusted any other knights I’ve come across apart from one who visited the inn just earlier this year. He slightly altered my opinion of them but I still cannot trust them” she admitted.
Strangely, she didn’t feel upset anymore. She felt nothing – perhaps this was the beginning of her finally letting go of Frederick, and the past.

[shonz]

Her words made him brave indeed. Any initial thought of frightening her with his confession of love flew away with the wind when she reassured him she wouldn’t think of him any less. It only made Gwaine’s feelings for her intensify a hundred times over. “Where have you been all these years, Millie?” he asked her, the look in his eyes full of warmth and longing, and yes, love. Perhaps, the Fates had wanted him to go through such hardships in life so he could appreciate this gift he was given now. "Heavens, I love you more than words can say."

When she promised that nothing would ever changed her feelings towards him, Gwaine breathed a deep sigh and engulfed her in a warm embrace, holding her close to him. “I serve a very rich man,” Gwaine finally said. That was part true. I serve a very rich and powerful king and prince, he continued to himself. “Technically, I serve the son who is very kind to his servants, and I am lucky to be in his employ.”

He gave her a smile when she told him she had passed through Gwent. “It’s a beautiful kingdom. I’ve only returned there once after I left. Actually, I was traveling from Gwent when I first stepped into The Ram’s Head and gave this certain barmaid a night she could never forget,” Gwaine added with a laugh, realizing that that had been the fateful night when he’d first met Romily.

He listened as attentively as he could when she told him she was from Carmelide but that she had practically brought herself up. He remembered her earlier stories about her relationship with his father, and wished life had been easy on her. She was too kind to have to go through such suffering. Gwaine stayed still and silent when Romily went on to tell him about a certain Sir Frederick l’Adoube.

It was perhaps a good decision then not to tell her he was a knight. For he knew she would definitely turn him away once she finds out. All the more reason now to keep his life a secret. It wouldn’t be easy, but he wasn’t joking when he told her he would do anything to keep her, even if it meant keeping secrets from her.

“I’m sorry about Sir Frederick. Knights are nobles, they could be pompous braggarts, but I hear some of them are truly noble by heart,” Gwaine heard himself say. He should know. He and his brother knights live by the code with all their heart and mind. “Do you remember the name of the knight you had recently met?” Gwaine wondered if it was anyone he knew. It wouldn’t surprise him if he did. It was a small world where they live in after all.

[Romily de Braose]

Romily nodded when he told her about what he did for a living. “A servant then?” she smiled, “your master must treat you exceptionally well then”.
At least he was receiving better treatment that Eldon gave to her. Eldon didn’t ever do a thing for her apart from letting her keep her room and job. “Im guessing that you serve a lord?”

“From what I saw of it – I couldn’t agree more with you there.” She’d only seen a small amount of Gwent as she’d stayed there for an evening before continuing on in the morning. “Why did you leave there?” she asked. She didn’t know whether Gwaine would answer this question, but it was worth a shot all the same. “A night that I doubt I shall forget in a hurry” she rolled her eyes, that was defiantly a night that would stay in her mind for a while. “And im pretty sure that Eldon won’t forget it either”.
After Gwaine had spoke his mind to Eldon the older man had slightly changed his approach to Romily. At least if Gwaine stuck around then he wouldn’t treat her like his own serving girl anymore.

“I’m sorry about Sir Frederick. Knights are nobles, they could be pompous braggarts, but I hear some of them are truly noble by heart,”
She could’ve scoffed at this but didn’t – “Sir Frederick is anything but noble by heart – he ruined my life, and im pretty sure that he would do the same to any other woman in Albion” she became a little angry, but managed to calm herself down. If she ever came across Frederick again she wanted to run at him with a sword. That would teach him.

“Lancelot” she confirmed, “he used to be a Knight of Camelot, but had left his rank – then he was a wanderer a bit like yourself” she smiled, “He was kind to me, even though I was wary at first – but he was a good man.” Lancelot had been. Even if he considered himself to be a loner and not an interesting person, Romily had found him interesting all the same. “I hope I meet him again one day – perhaps he has received the good fortune of becoming a knight again”. She doubted it, but being a knight was all that Lancelot had wanted when he and Romily had spoken.

“Anyway – that’s all there really is to know about me” she shrugged.

[shonz]

“Your master must treat you exceptionally well then. I’m guessing that you serve a lord?”

An amused smile tugged at the corners of his lips at the thought of Arthur. Arthur had changed the way Gwaine had looked at nobles. Arthur had changed his life forever. The prince had given Gwaine more than he could ever ask for. “He is something like that. He treats us more than well, in fact. You could say we are good friends,” Gwaine told Romily. Arthur had always been adamant about that part of his relationship with his knights. More often than not, he wouldn’t let them call him “Sire” or “Your Highness.” It was always “Arthur.” Gwaine admired the man more than anything, perhaps second only to his father. Gwaine would stand by Arthur’s side every step of the way when he takes over Camelot from Uther.

Gwaine went thougthful when Romily asked him why he left Gwent. He could answer her truthfully with that. “When my father died, my mother asked for help from the King, but he refused us. My father had been a loyal servant of Caerleon, but the King all threw us out like dirty rags.” Gwaine wanted to tell Romily that he had already made peace with that part of his past, and that the King’s daughter Princess Isadora, a childhood friend, had helped him get closure. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to tell her a bit about it. “When I went there, I wanted to talk to the king, but I met his daughter instead. She’s a good woman, and she helped me. I think I’ve finally made my peace with Caerleon despite what happened in the past.”

He sensed how angry she was with this Sir Frederick, and Gwaine knew he would do everything in his power to help her exact her revenge against the bastard who had hurt her. “Do you want me to find him for you so you can exact your revenge? I would gladly offer my sword and kill him myself,” Gwaine heard himself say. He couldn’t help it. Millie’s pain had become his own. He didn’t like seeing her hurt and angry like this.

Gwaine tried not to react when she told him the name of the knight she had met. Lancelot was all that and everything indeed. The man, his brother knight, was a man of honor and was much too kind. It was just unfortunate that he would fall for the prince’s love Guinevère over all other women. “Perhaps he did if he’s as good as a man as you said he was. Who knows maybe you will meet him one day,” Gwaine replied.

When Romily said that was all there was to her life story, Gwaine heaved a sigh. He knew there was more to her than she led on, but he wouldn’t force the information from her. He himself hadn’t been to open anyway. “Do you want anything to eat?” he asked as he took some bread and started spreading some butter over it. “What do you want to do now? Tell me, and we’ll do it.”

[Romily de Braose]

“He is something like that. He treats us more than well, in fact. You could say we are good friends,”

Romily grinned at this. “He sounds like a very good man – if only Eldon could take some tips”. She took a clip from her pocket and pinned her hair up, the slight breeze in the air was making it mess itself around her face.

She listened intently to his story about how the King of Gwent hadn’t helped out his family when his father died. It made Romily think of her own father, and how he had not done a thing to help her when her mother and brother passed. Just kept her away from the rest of the world – only allowing her to socialise with very few people at his own convenience. “Im glad the Princess helped you – there are very few who would help out people who have been through what you have.” His father had served the king then? That wasn’t a surprise then. “He was a servant too? What about your mother?” she asked. Romily knew little of Gwaine’s mother except her name, and that was only because Gwaine had named his horse after her.

“No” was all she said when Gwaine asked about hunting down Frederick, “No – if I do ever happen to see him again, then I need to handle it by myself. Just so he knows that he hasn’t won”

Romily laid back down on the blanket and looked up to the sky. It was a clear with the sun shining. The warmth was pleasant enough. “Im quite full thank you” she smiled. She’d hardly ate anything, but when you had Gwaine admitting his feelings for you – you wouldn’t exactly have food on your mind, nor would you want to eat. Romily only felt full of love and adoration.

“I shall let you decide,” she turned her head and looked up at him, “I have no ideas that spring to mind”

[shonz]

“I believe Eldon is learning,” Gwaine told Romily. However, he just wasn’t sure if Eldon was learning because of Gwaine’s threats or because of Gwaine’s gold. Either way, he was happy to know that at least, he was easing up on Romily. “Now that we’re together, I do hope you would tell me everything and anything that Eldon does to you. I will seriously tear his limbs apart myself if he lays a hand on you or makes you work your lovely butt of too exhaustion.”

He nodded when she asked what his father his father was. Technically, his father was knight in Caerleon’s army. Knights are servants of the kingdom and the people, and his father had been a loyal and honorable one till the end. Heck, he gave his life to protect the king, only to be shrugged off like that. “We were all servants to the king,” Gwaine simply said. If King Alistair hadn’t turned him and his mother away, he would probably have been a knight of Gwent, and not of Camelot, now.

Gwaine tightened his embrace around Romily when she strongly refused his help to take revenge on Frederick. She may look all lady-like and weak, but Romily was anything but. He had always known she was stubborn and strong. He’d pity Frederick when he meet Romily’s ire. “But do please tell me if and when that happens. I couldn’t bear the thought of you confronting that poor excuse of a knight by yourself.” Inwardly, Gwaine decided he’d do his own research about the bastard who had hurt Romily like that, find out where he was. Romily need not know.

When Romily lay down on the blanket, Gwaine shifted and lay himself beside her. He propped his head against on arm as he turned to one side and faced her. He reached a hand out and gently caressed her soft cheek, just enjoying the quiet moment there with her. “I just want to lie her beside you, look at you, marvel at your beauty, making sure I’m not dreaming at all…” he said.

Then with a smile he lowered his head down to hers and kissed her gently and slowly.