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“Hmm.” She said softly, raising her eye line to the sky, as if seriously considering Griflets question, whether his stalking was worth the outcome. “Does that mean you are admitting that you were stalking me?” His answer would probably be amusing, but she wasn’t just going to lie here and feed his ego because it was big enough as it was.

His words rung true, it was her suggestion that he should accompany her back to the house, but he had agreed so he should take a part of the blame surely? That made perfect sense to Caitrin even if it made little sense to anyone else. Ah, of course he would bring up last time in the gardens. It was true her Uncle had been looking for her, but if she hadn’t run off then she and Griflet would not have got any time. Hold on, she hadn’t been running off, she had needed some air! “I didn’t run off.” She pointed out quickly, that made her sound like she had been running away from a situation rather than facing it head on which was her way. “Are you complaining about what happened in the gardens anyway?” Now that was Caitrin falling back on her confidence, of course there were bits in the garden which had been uncomfortable for both of them, but overall it had been an enjoyable situation for them both so he really had no reason to complain. “Anyway, I cannot stop my Uncle turning up, it is after all his house.”

Caitrin had been probably a bit too preoccupied looking at Griflet’s chest to register that she should be holding onto the reigns a lot tighter than she was. The thought that he was going to take the reigns off her didn’t even cross her thoughts until it was too late. As he snatched the reigns from her, her glossy eyed look at his body changed and she gave a small huff, folding her arms angrily, “Hey!” She protested, that was hardly a gentlemanly thing to do was it? Then again, if there was one thing Caitrin was sure of, it was that she was no lady, and that Griflet was no gentleman; therefore they went perfectly together…somehow.

She kept her arms folded at him, she didn’t appreciate having the control of the situation taken away from her, and it was a rude thing to do anyway on his part. Caitrin glared up at Griflet as he suggested she should be the one to walk. She let out a small huff again and then opened her arms up, using them to illustrate her protests, “I had the reigns first.” She pointed out, “Therefore if anyone should walk, it really should be you.” She held out her hands for the reigns once more, knowing that there was more chance of Griflet becoming best friends with her Uncle than there was of him just handing her the horses reigns.

Caitrin considered getting the reigns back as he held them inbetween his thighs, but he had probably put them there on purpose and would only see her actions as being inappropriate. As much as she wanted the reigns back she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of her being the first one to make a move again so she remained quite still; although she was slightly disappointed that he did have to put his shirt back on.

The last time Griflet had asked to join her on a horse had been on their first meeting, and obviously she had been incredibly unimpressed at his request. His smirk irritated her somewhat, because it was him telling her that he was in control of this situation and not her. She could have tried to grab the reigns back, but that was less fun. Caitrin placed one hand on her hip and cocked her head to the side. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of accepting his offer, but neither did she want to walk back with him teasing her from horseback. She considered her options for a moment and pressed her lips together, “Only if I can lead.” She challenged softly, she knew how big his ego would have been if she had simply just said yes and allowed him to lead and dictate the situation. Altogether that was too easy, and banter was a lot more fun than compliance in Caitrin’s eyes.

The more Caitrin conversed with Griflet, the more she believed he was something completely new and different. She’d never met a courtier like him. She smiled as he told her how the Griff Method was actually put into practise; in retrospect his method was better than the typical courtiers way, but it was strange as she thought the total opposite on their first meeting. She would have probably given anything to have her Uncle by her side the first time she had met Griflet, perhaps if she had then things would not have got so intimate so quickly. However, now Caitrin was glad it happened the way it did, for she was sure she could not be happier than she was just lying here in the field with Griflet.

She rolled onto her tummy and turned her head so that she was looking straight at Griff and gave a small sort of grin, accompanied by a quick laugh. “Saying it like that makes it sound like you were stalking me.” Then she wondered if he actually had been, after all, one of the first times she had come back to Camelot after their little incident he had come across her at the ball. No, that was absurd wasn’t it? He wouldn’t have thought about her that much would he? After all she hadn’t thought about him that much until what had happened at the ball; now everything felt different.

Although Caitrin was enjoying the current company, she could see Simon’s horse at the front of the house and it served as a quick reminder of what she should be spending her morning doing. She didn’t want Simon to be around long enough for him to get a grasp of Griflet’s personality; that would only cause her more problems. She liked Griff, and she enjoyed his company, but her father would not see that, he would just see whatever negativities Simon cared to comment on. She shifted slightly uncomfortably, removing her fingers from Griflet’s chest; she was worried how reluctant she was to actually complete that task but she tried to brush that worry from her mind.

She reached for the letter which was lay rather neglected a few feet away from the pair. She skimmed over the words once more; this was what her life had become, trying to please everyone and usually failing miserably. In replying to her father she was ignoring Griflet somewhat, not to mention her own wishes to just remain here with him. She frowned slightly and used her spare hand to link through Griflet’s nearest hand, squeezing it again.

Caitrin couldn’t help but laugh as Griflet asked her if she was serious. She nodded probably too eagerly, but she wanted Griff to accompany her because she didn’t just want this to be the end of their meeting. She hadn’t seen him in a few days, and now that seemed like too long to be apart. She moved herself so she was sat beside him, looking over him, “Perfectly serious.” Was her satisfied answer and she rolled the words around in her mouth, giving a small smile.

Knowing her Uncle Rouland, he probably would turn up unexpectedly, because he had a habit of arriving at the wrong moment. She pressed her lips together and turned them into a smile, raising one of her eye brows, “How is it my fault if he does turn up?” She asked, mocking an insulted tone, but the effect was ruined as she was on the verge of laughter and she used the hand that was linked with Griflet’s to try and pull him up with her so they were both standing. Caitrin was a woman of action, so this was probably the easiest way of getting Griflet to get anywhere near her house anytime soon.

She left Griflet, taking her hand from his and walked over to the horse, stroking his face and taking the reigns in her hand. She held them up slightly, as if bragging to Griflet that she now held the reigns and he did not, and winked, “Well I have my way of getting back; I assume you’ll be walking then?” She finished her words by giving him a knowing grin, he wouldn’t just give up his horse like that, but his answer should be amusing nonetheless.

Caitrin sucked against her teeth in a slightly irritated way and leaned back in her seat. The more Richard spoke the more she found herself annoyed by him. This wasn’t the plan, she was supposed to be annoying him, not the other way around. She looked away from Richard for a few moments before looked back to him, thinking of a way to answer him. She placed an arm casually on the table, pressing her lips together before she answered him, “And how would you suggest I keep my freedom?” She asked carefully, “Run around chasing nobles like you perhaps?” She raised an eye brow at the man, she would never end up like someone like him. Of course Richard didn’t know that she did intend to return to her Uncle eventually, but she would do it in her own time rather than when Richard decided she should go back.

Caitrin knew that Richard had not been biting his lip in a seductive way at her, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t have some fun with it. To prove a point she bit her lip again, widening her eyes slightly at him and smirking, “I wouldn’t say I was acting inappropriately, you’re just no fun.”

Whatever Caitrin’s Uncle Rouland had promised Richard, in ways of pay, it must have been a significant amount as if it wasn’t then Caitrin doubted Richard would still be here. That would only make it more difficult to get rid of him really wouldn’t it? She couldn’t help but grin as Richard joined her on the bed. She leaned back on her bed again; she was probably too tired for this time in the morning.

As Richard spoke she couldn’t help but laugh. She pushed herself up slightly off the bed, purposely pushing her chest out slightly; if he thought she wasn’t behaving correctly then she might as well carry on as she had started. A hand ran through her hair. It was after all usually her secret weapon, for some reason men could never resist her hair for whatever reason, though there were few red heads at court she supposed. “Well then, I hope you have brought a change of clothes.” She smirked, showing she had no intention of behaving, therefore unless he just saw sense and left the pair of them would be together for quite a long time. “Do you have any suggestions to pass the time?” She asked slowly and finished it with a quick grin, surely he couldn’t still be immune to her flirts?

The promise of meeting both the Lady Morgana and the Prince Arthur made the prospect of spending more time at court more appealing to Caitrin. She hadn't been able to attend court much in Mercia as her father insisted on accompanying her and he was never away from war long enough to oblige to take her to the feasts or dances. She smiled at the King, just to show her gratitude, "I look forwards to meeting them both sire." It made her feel welcomed in a way to hear that her presence would be welcomed, she had been an insignificant noblewoman in Mercia, perhaps now was her chance to make something of herself and make an impression on the court of Camelot.

Caitrin noted the silence as her Uncle asked Uther if he had visited Mercia recently. Caitrin did not know much of border relations, but she knew that Mercia and Camelot were not on fantastic terms with one another. If there had been any fighting inbetween their two Kingdoms it wouldn't surprise Caitrin to learn that her father had been leading the attacks. She knew Mercia had been her home, but she had to stop thinking of it as such. Camelot was her home now and it would be for a long time to come.

Caitrin smiled as the King said it was interesting to have visitors from other Kingdoms. "Is there anything you wish to know of Mercian traditions sire?" Caitrin asked the King softly and then she flashed a quick look to her Uncle to check she had said the right thing. Rouland seemed in good spirits so she was sure she would not have offended the king with her perfectly innocent question.

Caitrin was becoming slightly irritated with Richard, did he assume she was some naïve little noble woman who had never been outside her families estates before? If he assumed anything of the sort then he was a fool. She hadn’t run away before, that much was true, but she’d been attacked by bandits twice before and had escaped both times; even when that idiot Vortigern had tried to sell her off to the bandits. She blinked as she tried to rid herself of the memories of that stupid man, the quicker she forgot the better. “I know how cruel the world can be.” She snapped back at him, who was this man? He knew nothing about her and her life, “That does not mean I cannot cope by myself.” She had coped before and she would cope again without Richard’s help.

Well he was finally looking at her again, that was something. She raised her eye brows at him as he said she was not taking the situation seriously. Of course she wasn’t, why should she? She knew she wasn’t going anywhere with this man so she didn’t have to take anything he said seriously. In truth she was still amused at his reactions to her flirts, she’d never made a man cringe so much and she was quite enjoying having the upper hand or so to speak. She didn’t miss the fact Richard bit down on his lip and she leaned forwards again and spoke in a quieter tone than she had used before, “Now look who’s biting their lip.” She raised an eye brow and gave a satisfied smile before getting up and heading towards her room.

As predicted Richard did follow her up, she suspected he would, although she doubted he had the same motives that men usually did when they followed a woman up to her bedchambers. In fact, from what she had seen of Richard she was certain he didn’t have those motives at all. She grinned at him as he emerged fully on the landing and began to unlock her door. She just held her hand on her key as he spoke and she shrugged softly but carried on looking at Richard as she replied to him.

“Well then, I suppose we have a lot of time to kill together don’t we?” She smiled, probably a bit too much but she had wanted a bit of variation in her day and perhaps this was the fix she had been waiting for. “Because I really don’t care what you have with my Uncle, I am not leaving with you.” She finished off her words with a sweet little smile which didn’t fit but she didn’t care and she opened the door to her room and took off her cloak, throwing it on her bedside table as she collapsed onto her bed. She hadn’t been sleeping well since she’d left her Uncle’s home, but that was a small price to pay she supposed.

Sitting up, Caitrin’s eyes crossed to Richard and a small smirk appeared across her cheeks, “Please make yourself comfortable.” She said softly, running a hand through her hair and gesturing for him to actually come into the room and set himself down. “We could be here for some time after all.” She rolled the words around in her mouth and finished it off by letting her tongue linger by her bottom lip before pressing both her lips together as she cocked her head to the side slightly, grinning at Richard.

Ah, so a Duke with no fortune? Now that was interesting. Caitrin noticed he had tried to make the topic casual, and of course you did that whenever the pain of the situation got too much to bear in reality. Caitrin did the same thing with many of her predicaments, and she therefore did not press Richard further, she knew she might have touched a nerve, and she didn’t really want to provoke a less than friendly reaction.

Caitrin could do little more than look a little surprised at Richard’s words. She could not last in the world by herself? And how exactly had he assumed she had got this far? She hadn’t had an escort, she had been on her own for the whole time and had been fine. To be fair, Richard really wasn’t doing a great job at persuading her to go anywhere with him; he hadn’t even returned her flirts which she thought was incredibly rude on his part. “I can manage perfectly, I have done so far, and I can continue to.” She didn’t care how much she had inconvenienced this man; it wasn’t her fault he had been sent after her so why should she care?

Caitrin kept leaning forwards between Richard, she felt like she would be letting him off too easily if she just sat back and kept a wide distance between them. “If it does not bother you I wonder why you feel you cannot look at me.” She gave a small laugh and drained the last of her goblet of water. It turned out a bit of morning banter, with a small amount of water, had made her a lot perkier and ready to face the day. She was sure she was not going to get rid of Richard in a hurry, which meant she could enjoy herself teasing him in the meantime. She frowned at him, honestly, he could at least smile. Was that really too much to ask?

Caitrin had been having fun toying with the man, but it was really no fun unless they gave her something to work with. Some men were just no fun, and seeing as she had the option of terminating their conversation herself she took it. He clearly wasn’t bothered about anything but getting her back to her Uncle and that irritated her. How could he not feel anything through her flirting with him? It was ridiculous. She wasn’t expecting him to fall head over heels in love with her, but he could have at least given her something!

Caitrin didn’t even look back at him, she heard a chair fall and he shouted after her but she waved him away with her hand, calling over her shoulder, “You can insist all you want, I’m not going anywhere with you.” And with that she hitched up her skirts and bounced up the stairs to her room, satisfied with her conversation with the man. Perhaps he would see there was no possible way he could get her from the tavern, at least not with him, and leave. However, Caitrin had a sneaky suspicion that it wasn’t going to be enough. She reached her room and began to fumble about with her room key, casting her eyes to the stairs now and again to see if Richard would follow her upstairs.

As Richard spoke about making a living Caitrin found herself even more curious. Surely Duke’s earned enough through their lands to not have to chase around obscure nobles around Albion to earn a few gold coins? She furrowed her brows at him, true enough his clothes were fine, but he should be able to afford them anyway if he was a Duke surely? “I take it being a Duke does not constitute making a living then?” She asked him casually, but really she was itching to hear his answer.

Richard had asked her how much money he had, and only after she had replied he had supposed it a rude thing to ask? What a stupid thing to say. It was impolite to ask a woman how much money they carried with them, in the same way it was not the proper thing to ask for the value of an estate or someone dowry. She pressed her lips together and said politely, “Apology accepted.” Caitrin left it with that, because there was really no point in having an argument with this man over something so insignificant anyway. She did not reply to the latter part of his speech, as he asked her to consider his words. She had already considered and rejected them, but he didn’t have to know that, not just yet anyway so Caitrin remained silent and grabbed her goblet quickly.

Caitrin folded her arms in a rather defiant way. She honestly couldn’t care less how much her Uncle had promised to pay him for her safe return, or how much he wanted her to accompany her; she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Why should she? Caitrin was sure she understood him perfectly, which was why she was acting in the manner that she had chosen. She knew he wasn’t here to flirt with her, so therefore it was more fun to force him to do just that because she knew he could not just disappear. He’d already told her that he was supposed to deliver her back to her Uncle, so she supposed he would have to stick around.

Her Uncle was worried about her? Well that was laughable. He was perhaps worried about what her father would do to him if he found out she was missing and that was all. After all, Caitrin was of little use to her father, or Uncle, if she had run off and got herself disinherited. She couldn’t provide them with a strong marriage, or anything really unless she was under her control. In all honestly Caitrin was enjoying the freedom which not being under anyone’s control had brought. It was a new feeling, and one she supposed she would not be experiencing again once she returned to Camelot. “If you truly believe he cares for me you cannot have spent long in his company.” She retorted and gave him a small smile, Richard knew nothing about her and her family, and he probably never would.

She resisted the urge to laugh as he asked her to stop biting her lip. She held the laugh in-between her lips and therefore caused quite a wide smile to beam across her face. She raised an eye brow, which was happening too much in this conversation but never mind, and leaned closer towards Richard. “Why?” She asked, opening her mouth slightly but not moving it, nor did she bite her lip, “Does it bother you?” Caitrin didn’t draw back for a few moments, but eventually she gave him some space at least, he really was too much fun to toy with. Then again, most men were.

Caitrin had all but forgotten about her breakfast but the barman came round to her, explaining that she would receive her food shortly, or at least in the next hour. Caitrin groaned slightly, she wasn’t sure she could stand the wait, though there was obviously little she could do about it. She looked across to Richard who was still sitting rather casually and she stood up quite abruptly. “As to your earlier words, it might surprise you I have little interest in your ‘job’.” She walked around the table towards him, not too close but she was within arms reach, “And I certainly will not be helping you accomplish your task.” She bobbed her head to him, he was a Duke after all and it was the proper thing to do. Caitrin then turned to leave to go to her room, because at least there she could wait for her food in peace, and perhaps sort out the state of her hair.

His reaction to her words was something she was not expecting. Her shock was probably evident as he bowed and introduced himself. He was a Duke? Was he being serious? She managed a small sort of grin as he sat back down, now insisting that they knew each other. “I am sure the pleasure is all yours.” She said in a very natural tone and took another swig of her drink. She shook her head, she had not formally introduced herself so she mimicked his actions and stood up. She held her skirts and swept into a low curtsey, the same one she always used for her more formal of introductions. She didn’t care the odd drunk was probably going to stare at her. She raised her eyes to him, “My name is Lady Caitrin de Archer, seventh child of Lord Payton and Lady Ardith.” She now fully extended her back and returned to her seat, pleased with her little introduction, “Now we know each other.”

That was an odd question, but it was a fair one all the same. She knew she had enough money to keep her for a fortnight at the least but of course Richard didn’t need to know that did he? Two weeks was not a long period of time and she was starting to miss the luxuries which being a Lady in her Uncle’s household brought with it. “That, my Lord, is none of your business.” She pointed out and sat back casually, “But enough to not need to rely on my Uncle for some time.” She accompanied her words with a smirk, he would have to try better than that really.

Caitrin leaned forwards, trying to close the gap which had been created between the pair. She was sure she would not be persuaded to go anywhere; why should she? Her Uncle had tried to force her into a match she did not want to even think about, so why would she return to him so quickly, even if this man was incredibly good looking. She rolled her tongue about in her mouth thoughtfully and looked upwards before setting her eyes back to Richard, putting on a small smirk. “I am not going to return to my Uncle anytime soon.” She said thoughtfully and put her head in her hands again, “Unless of course, you can think of any way of persuading me.” She winked again and the word persuading was said a lot slower and just seemed to roll off the tongue more than the other words Caitrin had spoken. Men were altogether such an easy breed to tease and toy with, but it was incredibly irritating when they didn’t rise to the bait. No matter; she would just have to up her game.

Caitrin looked around the tavern to find something to amuse her thoughts while she waited for her food to be delivered. She wanted something to distract her thoughts from the hunger which was burning through her body. She noticed the man again in the corner of the room, and she was certain he was staring at her. She put her eyes from him, now feeling slightly worried. Men looked at her in many ways, but his was not a stare of admiration, or even longing, no, this was something different. Caitrin found a goblet of water placed down in front of her by a young maid and she thanked her quickly before proceeding to drink from it; hopefully that wasn’t what the barman constituted as ‘breakfast’ but you could never really tell with these places.

She had been too caught up with her own hunger and her own thoughts to even notice the man as he approached. She blinked a few times to focus on him and resisted the urge to look completely baffled when he spoke. Was she... Well of course she was, but this man obviously didn’t know that. Now the more interesting question to Caitrin was who was this man, and why did he want to know who she was. It was plausible her Uncle had sent someone after her, but it was also possible that he had gained her name to engage her attentions. It certainly was a way of forcing conversation on her. Of course Caitrin wasn’t going to answer him straight away, no, that would be far too easy and what would be the fun in that?

Caitrin looked up at the man, he was certainly handsome but that wasn’t going to help him really. She’d teased better looking men than him, and worse looking men, so he really didn’t stand a chance. She leaned forwards slightly, inching a single eye brow up at him and pressed her lips together, as if thinking seriously about his question. She was doing well to hide her confusion of how a random man in a tavern could know who she was, but there was plenty of time for that later. She knew she was safe enough in the tavern anyway, if this man was following her and his intentions were less than noble then there were men here who would protect her; she knew that.

“Am I Lady Caitrin de Archer?” She repeated thoughtfully and took another swig of her water. “I might be, but that of course would depend who was asking, and why.” She leaned back in her seat now, acting more casually, “And of course how nicely you smile at me.”