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Gwaine found himself once again just grinning at his friend. Really, he couldn’t see where Griff was getting this confidence from. Just because he’d managed to charm one woman to saying yes to him didn’t mean that he was better than Gwaine at all. Gwaine couldn’t see why his friend couldn’t believe that he could charm his wife. Well, all this was in jest of course, Gwaine wasn’t really annoyed at Griff’s conclusions, and he had no intentions of seducing a pregnant woman, well, by the time he got the chance he supposed she would be a new mother, and that was probably worse. “Go on, what do you have that I don’t that makes you think I couldn’t tempt your wife?” He asked with raised eye brows.

Gwaine was quite insulted by the look that Griff was giving him. After all, there were worse things to name a child than Gwaine. He thought it was quite a sturdy and strong name, and was deeply insulted by the fact that his friend was giving it little thought. Then again, if he were in Griff’s position then he probably wouldn’t name the baby Gwaine anyway, after all, it probably meant ‘Tavern Drunk’ and what kind of parent wanted to bestow that honour onto a babe? As Griff spoke again, Gwaine let out a small chuckle, “Why, who on earth is called-“ And then he stopped himself and looked back at his friend. Ah, right, well now this was ever so slightly awkward. He’d never really thought that his friend could have shortened or changed his name, he’d always just taken it at face value and accepted it. Yeah, Griflet didn’t sound like the best name ever, Griff was a lot better. “It’s not that bad a name.” Gwaine quickly was trying to redeem himself, and probably failing miserably. However, Griff’s own choice in a name did sound more appealing to Gwaine than the name Griflet, “I like the name Alfie, well, you’ll probably have more sons after this one, so you’ll get your turn.” Gwaine mused, as he was still confident that everything would be fine for Griff and his wife. No doubt in a few years Griff would have his own little hoard of children, and he’d be begging Gwaine to take him to the tavern for five minutes of peace.

Once again, Gwaine felt quite insulted by Griff’s words, it seemed like every time his friend had a crisis then Gwaine was walking on by. He felt quite bad now that he had been the one to tell Griff to move on with his life and leave Caitrin behind. Well, his words must have had some effect or else his friend would not have come back to Camelot. So he had done the right thing after all, sort of. “My advice is always helpful, just not always in the way I intended it to be.” He pulled a face, suddenly feeling quite immature; Griff had this effect on his somehow. It was at that point there was a sharp scream from the room they were both sat outside. Gwaine squirmed slightly, he didn’t really like this. It was like listening to someone being tortured, but being both alright with it and unable to change anything. He looked across at Griff, if Gwaine was finding this uncomfortable then he couldn’t imagine how Griff was feeling. They had been out here for some time, so Gwaine pressed his lips together and made his way to the door. He wasn’t going to go in, he just wanted to see if he could hear anything. He could just about make out Brynn’s mothers voice, ringing out, “Just a few more pushes my Lady.” Gwaine gave a small gulp and looked back to Griff, “If you were going to panic, and not that I’m saying you should, but I’d get it over with now. I don’t think we have much longer to go.”

Gwaine looked back round at Sir Caridoc. He had known that some of the knights hadn’t been sure what to expect with him, and his fighting style, but if anyone was in doubt that he was more than capable of taking on his fellow knights then he would have already squashed those doubts. “Well, I’m always ready for round two Merlin.” He grinned, knowing none of the knights, as far as he knew, held him in a disagreeable way. Sir Caridoc had already promised him a rematch, so all was well and good. Perhaps Gwaine could start bringing wagers into his fighting. Then he wouldn’t have to pay for any ale ever again, or at least not the majority of them. Hmm. This could work in his favour. Gwaine smirked as Merlin confirmed that Arthur had made him stay and watch. Probably just so he could be told later how good he was, as if he didn’t know that already.

What did make Gwaine laugh however, was the fact Merlin said that Arthur had cut his workload. “Jesu, he’s not ill is he?” he jested to his friend. He would have thought that watching them all train would have been in the middle of a long list of jobs for Merlin. After all, Arthur never seemed to have a lack of jobs for his friend. It puzzled Gwaine that Merlin always seemed so happy, and willing to do it all. Gwaine had only had one experience of doing a job for Arthur, and after cleaning the entire knights boots he could comfortably say he was not suited to be a servant. The last part of Merlin’s speech though grabbed his attentions. Well, if Arthur hadn’t given him any jobs then they would be wise to vacate the area before the regent King remembered this fact, and robbed his friend from his side. “Well, we should probably move then, before Arthur decides he needs the entire arsenal polishing.” He winked at his friend and clambered over the fence so he was now standing beside Merlin. Clapping him on the back, he grinned, “Well, you could escort me to my chambers where I need to get changed.” He held up a finger, “And then, perhaps suggest somewhere where we can get an ale.” Or several.

Gwaine found himself raising an eye brow at his friend. Now, Gwaine could take insults to many part of his being (most chose to insult his hair) but when someone tried to challenge his experience and capabilities as a womaniser, he found himself resting on his defences. Gwaine knew how good he was, and how he could have most women weak at the knees. He did accept some women would not look at him twice, because even he wasn’t that egotistical, but that was their loss. It meant he had more time to give to those women who really did want him. “I don’t just believe it, I know it.” It felt like a rather pathetic come back, but he had a belly full of ale, and he didn’t have the will power, the brain power, or even the effort to think of a good come back. Right now, even though he would usually be on his seventh ale of the night by now, he wanted his bed. Maybe that was only because he was sure the men would make him suffer for his hang over in the morning at training. Well, he wouldn’t be punished as much as Elyan so it was fine. They might not even notice.

A quick look over his shoulder told Gwaine that Elyan was actually running after him as well. He’d been worried that his friend had been beyond running in his state. After all, he had been a little worse for wear. Well, a lot worse for wear. Gwaine smiled to himself as he continued running, thinking that as long as he reached the castle gates then he would be a lot more safe than he was now. Luckily, another glance over his shoulder told Gwaine that the mans straw that Elyan had promptly ruined was not following them. Well, they would have to sort something out for the man, when they were more sober, and less childish. Hmm. Elyan had finally caught up with him, and Gwaine couldn’t help but burst out laughing, though he was sure his friend could probably do with some rest, given the fact he was already being sick. “Come on, lets get you cleaned up and to your chambers.” He patted Elyan on the shoulder, hoping his friend would see sense in this at last.

Irritatingly, the person he was practically holding at knife point did have a point with what they were saying. But he couldn’t have taken any chances and just let the person go without seeing if they really were a threat. After all, they could have been part of the group that was trying to flush him out, and you could never be too careful in these parts. Gwaine bit his lip, knowing this person was right, but this could be a trick as well. Perhaps Gwaine just had to take a leap of faith with this, and start to trust this person a little. They were clearly as nervous, or as nervy as he was because otherwise they would have tried something, rather than just batting about words blindly. However, if the person thought that they had been being quiet when they had been skulking around the woods then they were really wrong. Gwaine had heard them coming from some way off, and it had given him time to prepare and plan. Perhaps that should have told him that this person wasn’t going to be a problem, but still he felt like he had been right to be cautious. “You were loud enough walking through the woods anyway.” He pointed out reasonably, but did not raise his voice as this person was doing. It was not easy to provoke Gwaine, and he certainly wasn’t going to allow someone in the middle of a forest to irk him.

Gwaine felt like he was giving the person in front of him too much of a chance to attack him, but he couldn’t think what else to do without them going round in circles. He kept alert, and his eyes followed the persons hands as they moved. However, as they began to part their cloak, though Gwaine had been panicked, thinking that a sword or dagger would be concealed beneath, something else took his attentions. Perhaps that would have been their intent, to distract him, if the person hadn’t then shown him a perfectly harmless little knife. Well, it could cause some harm, it paled in significance to his knife. He found himself replaying the image, and he was becoming increasingly certain in his deductions. It had been the cut of the dress that had done it, and the fact it did look like a dress, and not a tunic.

He looked at the person in front of him, not wanting to accuse them too early and provoke the wrong reaction. Gwaine took a small step back and breathed out slowly, thinking how to approach this. If this was indeed a woman then he couldn’t just leave them to wander around, Gwaine’s heart and mood might have been hardened by his current experiences but he wouldn’t leave a woman to her own devices. These were dangerous woods, and even worse for a woman. “Take down your hood.” He said calmly and not unkindly. He wasn’t threatening anymore, he was asking.

Gwaine was, dare he say it, becoming bored with the conversation at present. This woman was very amusing, yes, but she seemed hell-bent on just insulting him and trying to get rid of him. The worst bit was she probably meant it as well. This wasn’t very encouraging. All Gwaine wanted was for Isabel to return a few of his flirts and to lighten up a little. She seemed incapable of doing either, which to Gwaine was incredibly irritating. He usually didn’t mind a challenge, but he knew when there was little point in continuing a pursuit. He wasn’t going to waste time with a woman who seemed intent on insulting and annoying him. If he had the effort, he could just stand here and return the annoyance, but he had already tried that, and it was becoming an incredibly trying affair.

He considered Isabel for a moment. No doubt she had ever known poverty, and she never would. She would probably just stay in her fancy house, looking down on all those didn’t live up to her expectations. There was probably nothing wrong with that in her eyes, but Gwaine hated everything about it. What claim did this woman have to think she was better than everyone else around her? She certainly had that air about her, and made no mistake in hiding it. Gwaine wasn’t a fan of the nobility, and never would be; this was exactly why he didn’t like them. “I doubt I could think any highly of myself than the opinion you hold of yourself.” He pointed out sharply. His tone was not provocative, it was scarily cool and calm, even though that didn’t reflect his mood or how the words were meant.

He wasn’t even that sure if he could stand her company much more to endure a little show of the town. As pretty as it was, he could probably find a barmaid who would do the job a lot more willingly than the woman standing in front of him. He shrugged, probably ungentlemanly but still, he was really past caring. He had tried to be nice, he had tried to flirt and gently tease her and she had just fought him at every turn. He pressed his lips together, and looked back up at Isabel, “I can’t reward you for a service I haven’t been given yet, until I have I can’t determined what form that reward should take either.”

Gwaine was having a pretty average day. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened since he had left Arthur and Merlin and Camelot of course. He knew he was banished from the kingdom, but he hoped one day he would be able to return. He did miss his friend of course. Friends weren’t really something Gwaine had many of, given his nomadic lifestyle. As was the norm, Gwaine had managed to get himself into a bar fight. The man who he had been gambling with had got the absurd idea that Gwaine owed him money. Really, it should have been the other way round, because though Gwaine wasn’t the most intelligent of men, he knew he had won the card game hands down. However, Gwaine was but one man, and the men in the tavern were many in numbers. So someone had shouted out that he was a cheat and a thief, and suddenly everyone was after his money, and probably some of them wanted his head as well. He couldn’t really blame them, it was a rather pretty face.

This was the problem with the Mercians, they were all so bloody hot headed, and if they thought they were being cheated or beaten by a foreigner then they went on their defences. It was rather annoying, as Gwaine should have learnt this already, but of course his habits had got the better of him and he’d let himself be dragged into the game anyway. Gwaine looked at the big, angry Mercian in front of him. Luckily not all Mercian’s were this ugly, at least the women weren’t, so Gwaine did have a reason to keep coming back to the kingdom. He smiled at the thought, but the thought had left him somewhat distracted as his head was now more with the woman he had shared his bed with a few nights ago rather than on the task in hand. The next thing he knew, he had been flung across the table, and by the time he recovered he got the odd sensation that someone was calling his name.

Merlin? Merlin was here? Wasn’t he supposed to be in Camelot running round after Arthur? Too many thoughts were running through the mans head, and he blinked a few times and as soon as he was settled that he wasn’t seeing things, he grinned at his friend, “Merlin!” Quick enough he had thought to scramble off the table, pondering between asking his friend what he was doing here, or facing the men who currently thought he was cheating them. “How are you?” He asked, as he launched himself off the table. Perhaps he should have been more worried about the fact the men behind him were still incredibly annoyed, but that was a given. Gwaine could never please everyone.

“Give me my money.” The large, bullish man in front of the pair finally spoke, and Gwaine got the odd sensation that his question to Merlin was probably going to be unanswered for the time being. He cast his friend a look which just said run, and nudged him in the direction of the door.

Sir Gwaine. It was still taking some time to sink in, and Gwaine wasn’t really sure that it ever would. It felt strange to be here now, training with the other knights of Camelot, and thinking that this was his life now. Not long ago he had jus t been continuing his nomadic lifestyle of ale, women and wherever his horse decided to take him. It had been his life for so many years now that even sleeping in the same bed night after night was a completely alien experience for him. His fellow knights didn’t have that same experience that he had. Some had led nomadic lifestyles, but not to the extremes that he had. Gwaine wasn’t trying to make himself sound special, or different, but he knew it would be hard for him to explain to any of the knights why he was finding it hard to adjust.

Gwaine was enjoying his time as a knight though so far. He was proud, in some respects, because he felt like he had earned this, just like his father had before him. He was sure his father had been a great, and fair knight, and Gwaine intended to follow that example. He had no interest in becoming a stuck up noble, he would still be him completely and utterly, just with a title to go with his day to day activities. He was enjoying the training session that had been laid on for them today, and he grinned at his fellow brothers as they all began to break up from the session. It was their first proper day out training in public, some had come to see the new knights again, and others had stayed to watch the entire thing. Gwaine had noticed some pretty young ladies who had been batting their eye lashes in his general direction. He had made a mental note of looking them up when they were alone. Though that sounded quite sinister, it was meant in quite a general way. It was always harder to charm a group of women when they were separate rather than together.

Gwaine was however quickly torn from his thoughts about the women as he noticed that Merlin was approaching him. He shot his friend a toothy grin, he’d noticed him watching, but he had just assumed that he would be clearing up after Arthur when the training session had finished. He was quite happy to be wrong on this occasion and he nodded at him, his grin still on his face, “Well, I think I made an impact.” He chuckled, sure his friend had seen all the antics he had got up to. He was probably too daring with a sword sometimes, but that was how he liked it, he preferred his sword technique to be quirky and different because it always caught his opponent off guard. “Did Arthur make you stay and watch?” He asked with a chuckle, knowing that it was the sort of thing he would do, just in case he had need of Merlin during the session.

Gwaine was having so many problems with this conversation. He just couldn’t understand Iwan in the slightest. Usually Gwaine could read people, or he at least was able to get a grasp of their personality with ease. Iwan however was just, a strange man in more ways than he could have ever imagined. At first he had just thought that the mans idea of fun didn’t match up to his own, which was fine really, it was irritating, but it was fine. After all, if they were all the same, and found the same things enjoyable then the world would be a dull place. However, it was so much worse than that. How on earth could Iwan not want to woo a woman? Did he have no thoughts to marry? Then Gwaine was confused, didn’t all noble households seek to marry and extend their lines? To him, all of this made little sense, and he couldn’t really understand how Iwan could even be of this opinion. “What, not any woman?” He asked, now just more shocked than anything, “Don’t you want to be a husband one day?” Surely, even if Iwan didn’t approve of the sort of women that Gwaine usually lurched after, he had some woman at court who had caught his eye? There were plenty of pretty young noblewomen who would make fine wives. They weren’t Gwaine’s taste, but he could see someone like Iwan getting along with them.

If Gwaine hadn’t wanted to know the answer to his question then he wouldn’t have asked it. Was Iwan that dull? Well no, he knew the man wasn’t dull at all, and that was why he hadn’t answered Gwaine straight away. The man just shrugged at his fellow knight, and looked him up and down with half folded arms, and then his hand stretched out casually to the hilt of his sword, his other to his side. They were approaching the village after all, and the beast or monster or whatever it was could still be close. “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want you to answer it truthfully, but you have jested my fun, why shouldn’t I return the favour?” Iwan had plenty to say about how Gwaine spent his time, why shouldn’t he do exactly the same back to him? It wasn’t really in a malicious or horrible way, and Gwaine was genuinely interested to find out whether Iwan found anything enjoyable, because at the moment he was really struggling to think of anything.

He didn’t have any issues? Really? Gwaine just stopped and looked on in disbelief at Iwan, he just couldn’t understand this at all. Was he really in that much denial? Gwaine had seen enough of the world to know that this sort of behaviour and attitude wasn’t normal. He’d never met a man before who didn’t wish himself to have a woman as a wife. The woman was different for every man, but still, she was there. “Are you being serious?” He said quickly with both his eye brows raised. “It’s not even the fact you don’t want to get drunk, but I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t want a woman to warm their bed, whether it be in or out of wedlock.” He shrugged, Gwaine belonged to the latter category in that respect, he had no motivation or will to marry at the moment, or perhaps he just hadn’t found the right woman yet.

Well, Gwaine had been expecting a comment like that, but it was completely justified so he couldn’t really complain in that respect. “Unless you’d prefer to question them?” He asked his companion with a roll of his eyes, “Or are you just worried the women might try their charms on you?” At that he winked, just to let Iwan know he was joking. Well, he was half ish joking. Perhaps that was Iwan’s problem, he just had no idea. “Right, I’ll take the upper town, and you can take the lower?” He asked, trying to sound like he really cared about this more than sorting out whatever issues Iwan had with women.