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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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Shall we go?”

He was quite chivalrous – Romily had to admit that she found herself feeling a little more comfortable than earlier. Possibly because he was making conversation with her and not looking at her chest!

Lancelot seemed to have hit the nail right on the head when mentioned about assuming her previous experiences with knights had been bad. She felt the lump in their throat form but swallowed it and smiled. “You are right, the incident was not pleasant, it may have wounded me slightly but I suppose for that to heal I need to be proved that no other knight is like he was”. She blushed slightly when he mentioned her eyes. “Talking to you is a good sign right now” she smiled, “so I guess the trust is beginning to form – as for how you are dressed, I gathered that no one would wear chain mail just for fun” she smirked.

Her breathing almost stopped when he appeared to mistake her for a noble. “If I had a gold coin for every time I hear that…” she chuckled, “No, unfortunately im not a noble, for some reason people assume I am, but I’ve yet to find out their reasons. And as for company, it’s my job to make visitors welcome, so company you shall have” she told him.

“A good way, it sounds like quite a brave name” she told him honestly, it did. “And I prefer whatever, I go by both names anyway so it doesn’t matter to me”. Lancelot seemed to welcome the idea of staying at the inn and so Romily nodded in the direction they would be headed and began to start walking.

She laughed lightly, “a good representative? One could only wish”. He was very polite and not at all how she’d judged before. “Anyway, if you tell that to my landlord then im sure he’d be over the moon” Eldon liked it when the compliments flowed and even though he treated her like a skivvy, Romily knew that this job was what her life was only about at the moment.

It wasn’t long before she could see The Ram in sight and as they drew closer she pointed to it. “That’s the inn, there is a stable where your horse can rest too -once we get inside I’ll get you something to eat and drink, then prepare a room for you”. She knew that Eldon wouldn’t do it and Eldon’s daughter would either be out or flirting with the local men. “And then? Then you can have my company without me having to take any orders – it is my night off after all”.

Finally! A man who she could actually hold a conversation with, without having to beat him off with a stick!

Romily laughed as Yassia begged her to visit Camelot. “I shall come” she smiled, “you have my very word.”

She watched as the young woman’s eyes were practically out of their sockets when she was handed the dress. “You can and you will – after all why should it be sitting in the back of my cupboard collecting dust when it could be worn to impress some of the men that Camelot has to offer” she chuckled, “the dress needs an outing and you seem to be the best person to do this.” Regret it? Of course she wouldn’t! “Not at all!” she shook her head.

Yassia went to try on the dress and Romily waited patiently for her. The woman then called out for help. Romily chuckled as she told her that bodices were not exactly a forte of hers. She rounded the screen and began to tighten the laces. “They were never mine, but I learnt over time – my nursemaid used to make me practice.” She told her and pulled them a little tighter, “I remember when my father first gave me this dress – it was for a some occasion that I had to look pretty for. When I first put it on I felt like a princess, and even though I wasn’t treated like one I still felt like I was pretty enough to be noticed by whoever my father wanted me to marry at the time. But now when I look at it, I don’t like it – not only does it bring back memories but it also symbolises that im not that girl anymore.”

She finished tightening the dress and knotted the laces, “you, however, will have every man in Camelot after you when they see you – even the King himself!” she grinned, “Trust me, you look very much like a Queen now”.

Romily stepped aside so as Yassia could see herself in the mirror, “so…what do you think?”
Romily had to admit that Yassia looked very stunning – the colour brought out her friend’s complexion. “and if by the time that I come to Camelot, you are not married then i shall be having words with every man in town". she chuckled.

Romily didn’t like this one bit. She hated walking through unknown places in broad daylight, especially forests. You never knew what or who was lurking around every corner.

Eldon had sent his newest recruit (herself if you hadn’t guessed yet) to collect some supplies from a friend and that involved passing through the Forest of Balor. She’d heard many uninviting things about this place, but so far nothing had come to pass. Thank goodness.
She was counting her lucky stars that she’d managed to find shelter as well as a job. Eldon wasn’t that bad – he was quite old and had just his daughter to help him run the inn. Romily had been there for not even six months and already he had her doing all sorts of jobs. She’d spend many nights (or early mornings) being the last to roll into bed and then not even having a proper nights sleep, where she would have to rise before dawn to start the day all over again. Many people would see her as the poor little rich girl who was kicked out of her home and her connections because of a man who had ruined her life. She hated him, she hated her father. She hated herself, but that hadn’t stopped her from walking away from it all and starting a fresh.
Back in the village no one had any idea that their barmaid was in fact the daughter of a very wealthy lord from Carmelide. They only knew that she was Millie the traveller girl who had come in search of a job and home. Bravo! She preferred that. If the people ever found out then not only would it cause embarrassment but also they would start to treat her differently. She didn’t want that. She had already gained the respect of the villagers and didn’t wish to loose it just yet.

Romily was so caught up with her thoughts that when she looked around she had no idea where on earth she was headed. She stopped doing a full three sixty-degree return before realising that she was well and truly lost. She’d never had any navigational problems when it came to running away. Typical really.

“Ow!” something grabbed her arm and pulled her into them. “What the…” she was but off as a hand was placed over her mouth

“Shhh, now aren’t you a pretty little thing?” the man sneered. Romily could feel something against her throat. “Keep that little mouth of yours shut, otherwise you won’t see the marvel of this forest again,” he threatened

Romily could only nod slightly,

“You clearly don’t realise who owns this place do you?” the man growled, “King Cenred will be very pleased to know that we’ve made such a catch, and a pretty one at that – he likes blondes…”

As the man took his hand away from her mouth she could feel his breath on her neck. It made her shake. “King…Cenred?” she asked cautiously – perhaps if she distracted him with some civil talk then she’d stand a chance of escape

“Very powerful man, you don’t want to be seeing him anytime soon – unfortunately, it looks as though you’ll be doing just that” It was either now or never, she took her chance and kicked a foot backwards, causing the man to yell and drop his dagger.

She ran and ran, running for your life wasn’t fun, especially if you were lost in the place where a tyrannical King would have your head for it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Romily shivered slightly, it was growing colder by the moment so it seemed. The sun was now close to it’s peak on setting and the forest had become darker.
She was sure that she could hear something coming from the trees, probably a deer or fox. It was possible, given the amount of wildlife that she’d seen roaming these parts.

Darkness had partially obscured some of the forest from her sight, so it was hard to tell where the noise was coming from, but as turned around to see what animal could be lurking close by she found that it wasn’t an animal at all. Well, it was an animal; a horse to be precise, but next to the horse was a man, watching her. Romily froze, she had no idea whether to run back to the safety of the inn or try to fight him off if he came near her.
She decided to go with the first option; she couldn’t care less if he thought of her as a cowardly maiden who would go running at the first sigh of danger.

Romily immediately jumped up and backed away from him, looking for anything that could be used as a weapon. Now where was that stupid stick she’d thrown earlier?!
She kept her eyes on him as she backed away further; he was tall with dark hair – great, she was going to be killed by a man and his horse in a clearing where no one could find her.

“If you want to kill me, then you may as well get it over and done with” she announced bravely, even though she was sure that her voice had come out just as shaky as it had sounded. “I’ve no weapon on me if that helps”

Why? Oh why did she have to go and say that – it now made her appear more vulnerable than she already was! She decided to go for the ‘keep them talking’ option in her mind, if it proved to be a distraction, then perhaps she could make conversation long enough to finally make a run for it. As much as she tried to open her mouth, no words would come.

The sun was finally setting on another day. Another day of hard labour and nothing exciting in return for it. Eldon had kindly given her evening off as she’d taken charge of the inn whilst he and his daughter had gone to visit a relative in the next village. Romily had only been too glad of the peace, without Eldon’s constant demands and his daughter giggling like a child at any man who was good looking and made eyes at her.

Romily was seated on a log poking at the ground with a stick. She hadn’t a clue as to how to spend her evening and had spent the last hour or so walking around the forest and picking flowers. But even flower picking couldn’t cure boredom and soon she’d found a clearing where she could watch the sun set before it grew too dark to see a step in front of her. Not that she cared; she knew this place like the back of her hand and knew that she didn’t want to head back to the inn yet.

She’d never taken any notice of just how beautiful the scenery around here was. Most likely because she hadn’t the time to enjoy it. She poked the ground a little more before throwing the stick away and wrapping her cloak around her. No matter how early it was, the nights were still a little cold.
She thought of her father and how he was probably sitting in his chambers – his mind on current affairs and not of his daughter. If he were there now he would’ve asked her what on earth she was wearing as an excuse for a dress, not whether she was getting cold. Romily didn’t care though, if she froze then at least she would in a place where no one would find her. The area she was sat in was rather secluded after all.
She knew that if she stayed out any longer she’d have to make a fire from all the twigs and wood she’d found littering the ground around her.

Romily was going to stay out for as long as she wished. Besides, why waste a beautiful moment like this?