Not Quite so Deserted [Romily]

[Deleted]

There was always something satisfying about being hot and out of breath after training. It meant he'd been doing a good job. He probably could do without such a sore head after falling on it the second time, but it had been a good morning's training. He was currently stood by the weapon stand, trying to catch his breath for a moment or two. His arm was hurting as well, but he was determined to improve his swordplay. As a knight of Camelot he was more than accustomed to using such a weapon, but he'd always been an archer and so often found his sword skills weaker than the other knights.

He wiped a hand over his face, trying to wipe off some of the sweat, which was obviously really attractive. The other knights had already left so he was stood in the training ground by himself. Hmm. A servant came over to remove his chainmail - only then did he realise that his shirt was actually stuck to his skin. He was definitely going to need a bath. The servant had already gone off, presumably to clean his chainmail. That was annoying. Iwan could have asked him to run a bath. He looked around to see if there was someone else, but the training ground was quite deserted. Hmm. Well, seeing as there is no one here..., he thought before tugging off his shirt. It wouldn't do to go around with, obviously very attractive, sweat patches. He just needed a moment or two to cool down. And hopefully stop being quite so sticky.


Tagged: Romily de Braose
Timeline: During series four

[Romily de Braose]

It was a very hot day, well the hottest that there had been since Romily had arrived in Camelot. She ran her hand through her hair to get some air to her forehead, now that felt good. She'd been out for a morning walk and was now returning to the castle, so as she could 'busy' herself (or make herself look it to some effect) for the afternoon. She'd found the hillsides made a nice retreat on days such as this, to bury her head in a good book.

She took a detour through the training grounds to get back, she'd seen the Knights start practicing early that morning so she very much doubted that anyone would be there at this time. She'd been gone only a few hours after all.
What she didn't see until she turned the corner, was a completly shirtless man! Romily gasped and quickly looked away so as not to seem as though she was intruding.

"My goodness! I am so sorry! I didn't realise anyone would be here at this time!" She apologised quickly, trying not to stare at him. She didn't want him to get the wrong idea after all.

Muse Music: Becoming Jane OST - A Game of Cricket

[Deleted]

Iwan hadn't noticed anyone had been there until he heard a voice - a suspiciously feminine sounding voice. He spun around, only to be faced with an equally surprised young woman. In his surprise he managed to drop his shirt and ended up just staring at her - half naked. Well this was horribly embarrassing and certainly not embarrassing. What would Kay think? He could already hear his brother's scolding voice and that judgemental look he had. And then there was Gwaine as well. He could never learn about this. He'd never shut up about it, and Iwan really didn't need to give him anything else to comment about.

After about a moment or two of just staring at her, slightly open mouthed, he managed to speak. "Oh. Hello." Well this was going well. What, exactly, was one supposed to say in these situations? Nothing was springing to mind. If he was Gwaine he'd have something inappropriate and "humorous" to say that would lighten the mood and take away all the awkwardness. But he wasn't. He was Iwan and he was quite unused to such situations. He'd never been shirtless in front of a woman in his life. It was all terribly distressing.

"Erm...about my...current state. Let me explain...I was hot!" Realising what he'd just said, and how it could be taken, he just stared at her for a few seconds more, really wishing he could be anywhere else. "It was hot. Well, I was hot too. I was hot because it was hot. The weather. After training, you see. I'm a knight." Because that was a believable statement at the moment. Knights weren't supposed to walk around half naked and they certainly weren't supposed to be seen walking around naked by young women. Of course, he could have simply picked his shirt off from the floor, put it back on, and then feel a lot more comfortable and able to explain exactly why he had been in such a state, but he was too shocked and embarrassed for this to occur to him.

[Romily de Braose]

It was only now that Romily realised that the man she'd stumbled upon was just as embarassed by the situation as she was. Now explaning why he was in his current state and rambling. She looked at him up and down, spying his shirt on the ground and then looking back to him. To be quite frank, she would have done the same had she have been allowed to, it was hot weather and even now all she wanted to do was loosen her bodice a little, otherwise she felt as though she would pass out.

"It was hot. Well, I was hot too. I was hot because it was hot. The weather. After training, you see. I'm a knight."

Romily gave a small smirk and looked at the Knight. "I seeeeee" she mused, before walking forward and picking up his shirt. "I can't say I blame you for wanting to strip off, It is a rather hot day after all" she said and held out the shirt for him to take.

"I am Lady Romily" she introduced herself, she supposed it was only right to do so, "and do I have the pleasure of knowing your name? Shirtless stranger?" she asked, giving a devious little smile (very uncommon for Romily - who was finding this situation now rather hilarious than embarassing).

[Deleted]

The woman was now smirking at him and it really wasn't making Iwan any more comfortable in the slightest. Shouldn't women be distressed about this sort of thing? He was distressed enough for the both of them, but it would be nice if she didn't look like she was enjoying - or at least comfortable with the situation quite so much. It was just making him even more embarrassed and uncomfortable. Gwaine was definitely never finding out about this. The fact that she was now holding his shirt was perhaps not helping matters. It was one thing to be shirtless in front of a stranger, it was quite another to be shirtless in front of a young female stranger, and then for them to end up holding said missing item of clothing. What would his brother say? It was mortifying to think.

He gave a small bow after she intoduced herself. He may be in a rather compromising position but that didn't mean standards had completely disappeared. "I am Sir Iwan. I do apologise for my current state." He really hoped his embarrassment wasn't too obvious. She was obviously going to see that he wasn't feeling to comfortable right now, but it would be even worse if she knew just how much that was. Knights were not supposed to be embarrassed around young women. It was quite unheard of. He also didn't appreciate being called a "shirtless stranger". It just worsened the fact when they could have easily just pretended that nothing was amiss. That was his theory, anyway. "Could I trouble you for my shirt?" He asked, extending his hand to meet hers. That was the first time he'd ever had to say that, and hopefully the very last.

[Romily de Braose]

"I am Sir Iwan. I do apologise for my current state."

Ok, perhaps she was finding this more amusing than he was. What was more was that he looked rather uncomfortable, and Romily felt a little guilty at making him feel that way. She passed him his shirt. "Here" she smiled,"and it is me who should be the one apologising - I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable" she apologised. "I was also very un ladylike about the situation, but then again..." she looked to the floor, "I am still learning how to be one again."

Having been at Eldon's in for sometime before she'd come to Camelot, she wasn't surprised at all by Iwan's attire - which is most likely what he'd been more uncomfortable about. Romily had never come accross a Knight who became embarassed by certain things, then again she's never stumbled accross one until know.

"Right...I guess I should - well, leave you to whatever it is that you were doing." she smiled, "It was nice to meet you Sir Iwan - even under the most uncomforting of circumstances" she bowed her head and then went to move so as she could get past him.

[Deleted]

After being passed his shirt it was quickly put on and somehow just that small action made him a whole lot more comfortable. It was perhaps a little too late, she had after all seen him for far too long without one, but at least she couldn't see that anymore and he wasn't standing there trying not to think about the impropriety of it all. They were just two people have a normal conversation and two fully clothed people at that. Luckily no one had been passing only seconds before, he could have died of the shame if someone had seen - especially if that someone had been another knight. But, thankfully, he had been spared more embarrassment and all was well with the world once more. "Well I was being ungentlemanly too." He replied, not wanting to make her feel guilty about it.

She looked down at the floor and said something which to Iwan sounded rather peculiar. The very fact that she had looked down at the floor was enough to pique his curiosity. She had not done so when he had been half naked, so she clearly wasn't a woman who was easily embarrassed or distressed by breaking society's conventions. It was odd then that something should make her look away. She was still learning to be one again? Well what did that mean? Normally he would have kept his questions to himself - it was none of his business so he shouldn't pry in what was obviously a private matter. But his curiosity would not be satisfied without an answer. "What do you mean?" He hoped he wasn't being too forward, but, as he had thought before, she clearly didn't have the sensibilities of most women of her standing. Surely she couldn't be too offended by this?

"Please don't leave on my account." The words came out a little too quickly. It was no secret that he didn't have all that much interaction with the opposite sex, and most of the time - especially times like this without strict formal rules - he didn't know what he was supposed to be saying, but he didn't want her to leave, especially not if she felt she couldn't stay because of him.

[Romily de Braose]

Thankfully now Iwan had his shirt on and was trying to make her feel less guilty than she already did. "No, no - really, my father always said I should learn when to hold my tongue and act as proper as I was brought up to be" she half laughed at this, knowing that if he'd seen this then he'd have had a fit.

Romily shifted awkwardly, trying to think of a way of explaining her situation to Sir Iwan as easiest as possible. "Well..." she paused, "In a nutshell, my father disowned me, I worked as a barmaid for a couple of years and then I came here to Camelot." She wasn't about to launch into how and why she'd got there or the fact that Arthur had spurred her on to do so. "So the rank of 'Lady' is not one that i've held in the last few years - only in secret" she smirked to herself.

As she turned to head off she was stopped by his words of her being asked not to leave because of him. Romily looked back at him, "I suppose I should, after all it was I who stumbled accross you and interrupted." she smiled, "and I wouldn't want you to waste any of your time." He had obviously been in the middle of something before she came along, and as a Knight he wasn't exactly one who would have the time to stand around for a chat. That she knew very well about them.

[Deleted]

Iwan wasn't entirely sure how to answer that, there was a humour in her voice but there was also something else, something darker. Clearly there were some underlying issues with her father and he didn't want to bring them up. He was a complete stranger after all, and even if he wasn't, it was none of his business. He tucked his shirt into his trousers and finished by brushing it down, making sure he now looked acceptable. The fact that she'd already seen him without his shirt on wasn't the point, he was still going to look presentable now. "Holding your tongue isn't always a good thing," he said, "Something things need to be said." It was only though people not holding their tongues that changes were made and society was progressed, although this might be a tad deep for first meeting pleasantries. "That is just what I think anyway." He added, trying to lighten the mood again.

Gosh. He hadn't been expecting that as an answer. What a hard life she must have had, pretending to be a commoner, completey cut off from her family... he couldn't imagine how hard it must be knowing that you were alone and no one was going to help. He'd always lived in luxury and safe in the knowledge that no matter how bad things became he would always have food on the table. Part of him admired her strength for surviving such an ordeal, and the will power it must have taken not to return to her home. "Why did your father disown you? If you don't mind my asking." He didn't want to upset or anger her, but it was a fairly shocking thing to say - especially to someone such as Iwan. He had his fair share of family problems but his father would never consider disowning him.

She was still intent on leaving it seemed, and while he had no desire to hold her against her will, he did wish that she wouldn't go. She seemed perfectly content to be here before so he was convinced that something he had done had changed her mood. "Please don't feel obliged to leave," he said again, "Leave if you want to...obviously...but I wish you would stay." He didn't have many oppurtunities to talk to people who weren't knights or arrogant guests or in need of rescuing. It was nice to find someone normal to talk to. "I assure you my time would not be wasted, if that's why you want to leave."

[Romily de Braose]

He had a point, she'd give him that - in fact she was a little surprised that he disgreed with her fathers words. Most men would expect women to know their place and to keep their mouth closed unless asked to. "And here was me thinking that most men would prefer a women to keep to their rightful place." she smirked.

Why had Durwin disowned her? She could write a book about why. Romily raised her chin slightly, not caring now of what he would think of her after this. "My father was always very protective of me - kept me away from social functions, I've never been to court before..." she explained, "We were entertaining some people on behalf of his friend King Leodegrance - that's where it all went wrong." she swallowed, "I spent the afternoon with a man called Frederick d'Amboise, nice, charming - my father caught us just as he kissed me and assumed that something worse had gone on. Despite trying to tell him the truth, he disowned me. I left that evening and Frederick didn't even have the decency to stand up for himself. I spent some months just wandering, finding places to sleep and working for whoever would take me in. Then I found The Rams Head Inn and became a barmaid there - the owner and his daughter gave me lodgings in return. So I stayed there for a couple of years, at least I was far away from Carmelide so as no one could find me." she smiled. "So that's it really - thats the reason why my father hated me enough to throw me out."

"Leave if you want to...obviously...but I wish you would stay."

Romily smiled gratefully and nodded. "Then if you wish it - I suppose I can" she settled herself down on the grass. "I take it that you were training of some sorts when I stumbled across you?" she asked.

[Deleted]

Normally Iwan would be the one talking about what most people did and worrying about living up to social expectations so it was rather strange that this woman was now speaking to him as if he was the one breaking all social norms. But he was also one who believed in fairness and changing the world through words not violence. "In that case I'm not most men." Well that was something he'd never thought he'd heard himself say, maybe it was a good thing.

Iwan wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to react to the woman's words. It was certainly an extraordinary story. While he was not condoning her father's actions he could understand where the man was coming from. If it had been his own father and his younger sister then he was quite sure his father would been equally angered. It wasn't that Rowan was prone to throwing herself at men and dishonouring the family, but she wasn't one to think about her actions and their consequences and could easily end up in a situation that would be difficult to get out of. Maybe this is what Romily's father had thought and by some logic disowning her was his way of protecting her, of teaching her that she shouldn't be so trusting of men. "I'm sure he was only trying to protect you." It was a rather weak argument but as he didn't know her father or the situation from another point of view, or indeed what reaction she was expecting from him it was the best he could do.

He was rather pleased that she stayed, he'd hate to think he'd caused her to leave, but she was staying of her own accord and so he'd managed to find himself some new company at least. He was quite enjoying their conversation - it had certainly been an eye opening one. He nodded in response to her question, "Yes, I was. Arthur likes us to train as much as possible. I've always only been tolerably good with a sword so..." he trailed off and gestured to their location. "Practice makes perfect as they say."