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This was it. The moment that she would finally make her decision as to whether to return to Carmelide (and surprise her father in the process) or go back to The Ram. It was a tricky situation, and either would allow her to forget. She hadn’t found Gwaine when she went to look for him, nor had she seen him since their little confrontation. Romily knew that she couldn’t stay in Camelot all her life, especially now that things hadn’t turned out how her and Gwaine both hoped that they would.

Romily had spent most of the evening pacing her room, deciding what to do. Back to Carmelide, back to Wolfhall (most likely to only be kicked out). Her new friend Gwen had been so kind to her, it would be a shame to leave without saying goodbye – but perhaps it was best to go quietly.
She hadn’t even mentioned to Yassia about her plans. It just seemed that all her decisions that she was making lately were hypocritical to both her and others.

She was looking in the smallish mirror on the wall – she looked like nobility. That was who she was walking out as. Lady Romily. Not Millie the barmaid. If Gwaine were to see her now then he’d have a seizure. Her pink dress stood out like a sore thumb, so anyone sitting in the bar downstairs would instantly turn their heads. Local interest seemed to scour as far as a bar fight these days.
Taking everything that she had arrived with, Romily slowly made her way down the stairs.
She got to the threshold that separated the stairway from the actual bar itself and immediately saw someone who she’d not expected to.

Gwaine.

Bugger!

He was here?! Of all the places, of all the bloody taverns in Camelot and its surrounding areas, he’d had to choose this one! Oh well too late now, he was going to see her any moment now and her feet wouldn’t move. Quickly she turned and darted back up the stairs to her room, unlocking the door and hurrying inside. She leant back against it, her breath a little hitched.

Gwaine was downstairs. Gwaine could have seen her. Gwaine might be looking for her right now.

What was she going to do?! She couldn’t walk out of there and come face to face with him dressed like this!

Or could she?

No! She quickly rid her mind of those thoughts. He could never know – even if she felt bad for not telling him, he could never know of her past. Her flaws. There were loads and Romily knew that she came with a LOT of baggage. Gwaine would never want to be with her. WHY WAS SHE EVEN WALKING OUT OF AN INN DRESSED AS A NOBLE ANYWAY??!!!!

Romily sank down onto the edge of the bed. It was either now or never.

Romily hadn’t noticed anyone new enter until they actually spoke to her! She’d been so preoccupied in cleaning and making sure that everything was to Eldon’s taste, that she’d hardly acknowledged any newcomers or locals leaving.
She looked up at the young man and raised her brows, “What?” she asked slowly. Ok that question he’d asked could be taken anyway. Either he was asking for a drink or something that was completely out of the question! Did she really seem like one of those girls? If he thought she was then she was offended.

She had come across men like him before, Frederick being one of them. She’d learnt to control herself and to deal with any man who thought that he could just charm his way into her life. This man however, was indeed one of them. Or so he seemed. With his hair ruffled and a grin that would most likely make maidens faint, she knew that she’d have to make him see that perhaps charm wasn’t the only way to get desires. She leant slightly over the bar.

“A drink or a room? Your choice”

Now that hadn’t come out the way that she’d planned, so all that was left to do was to actually go with the flow. Two could play the same game after all.

She’d caved. She knew that she would and it had only been a couple of hours.
After much debating and arguing with her conscience, Romily had decided to head back to the training ground to seek out Gwaine. This was the third time she’d attempted to go to the training ground and each time had turned back. She’d then get back to the inn and realise that she needed to do this. This was Gwaine after all. Part of her was saying yes, when the other just screamed no.
Now, on her fourth try, she was finally making her way towards to ground where she could see some knights training.

Not wanting to get too close, just incase Gwaine did happen to be there and spot her – she kept to the back of the people who were watching with interest, but at a very vast distance. She’d already drawn enough attention to herself for one day, and if she did happen to see Gwaine, then she didn’t want another showdown like earlier.

Romily had always thought herself a strong character. She hadn’t cried over a man before. She’d had no reason to cry over Frederick for making her lose everything that she had, but Gwaine? Well Gwaine was something else. She could feel the tears pricking her eyes and blinked them away. How was it that one man could make her feel so angry and yet so remorseful? Gwaine certainly had a hold over her that was for sure. How could she have been so stupid as to walk away from him? Wait – he’d lied to her! She didn’t know what to believe anymore, no…she was being hypocritical – she had secrets too, but it was for protection!

Why was her mind so for and against what she had with Gwaine? Romily could feel her legs shaking and settled herself down on the grass, a little way from where everyone else was.
Why, oh why had she chosen to come back and look for him? Oh wait, she knew why. Because she was weak, and that she knew that she still loved him.

Now this knight was certainly a different breed. “They say curiosity killed the cat” she chuckled lightly, “I suppose I live up to that expression, and I guess you do too”.

They turned down side streets – Romily knew that she would never have found her way back. She was certain she’d get used to Camelot, but right now she needed people like Tristan to point her in the right direction. He was now saying that they would be back soon. Thank goodness. Romily knew now that venturing out into the city at night wouldn’t be a good idea. If she couldn’t find her way around during the day then she wouldn’t be much better of an evening.

“How long have you been a knight of Camelot for?” she asked. Romily knew that conversation would be very little or very awkward should someone not choose a topic to speak of. “I know one – you may know of him”.

Why? Why had she chosen to say that? Gwaine seemed to be the nightmare of her dreams at the moment. Now suddenly he was waggling her way into her conversations as well as her thoughts. Romily knew that deep down she was still very much in love with him. The way he would kiss her, speak to her. Every one of those things, even the littlest would make her either angry or broken. She hoped that Tristan’s spirits would lift her a little more. He seemed nice enough.

Romily leant up and kissed him, before pulling away with a small smirk “No you didn’t”. She refused to believe that the scene of her with a sword in her hand made him fall for her. “I don’t think you’ve properly fallen in love with me yet.”

She felt his hand stroke up and down her spine. It brought shivers to her like a cold night. They were good shivers to say the least. His touch always seem to leave her skin with either a tingle or burn. “You’re unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before in my life either, Millie. If only I could freeze this moment...”. she was so wrapped up with many feeling at this moment that she’d only just realised what Gwaine was saying.
Oh how right he was about the first part. She wanted so much to tell him all about her, of her past, he nobility. But Gwaine stated his dislike of nobles and it would kill him to know that she was one of them. No. He liked Millie the barmaid and not Lady Romily. The pair were no different from one another except the status, but she couldn’t. When the time was right perhaps she would come clean to him, but right now this moment was perfect the way it was.

“How so?” she asked, “don’t tell me you’ve never met barmaid who can’t defend her bar by herself”.

Ah yes. The plan of running away from it all. She didn’t know whether Gwaine would take her away from it all, but he seemed so determined that she couldn’t help but keep her hopes for that day. She ran a hand down his cheek, “how can you be so sure?” she asked, but already he was on about what she wanted to do when she was free of them.

Romily smiled. She’d never thought about it before. The Inn seemed to have taken over her future. She smiled lightly and looked out across the stunning view that they had. “Feel my freedom”. She replied and looked back at Gwaine, “I would like to feel as though im not bound in chains – perhaps later I would like to settle down with a man and raise a family. I’ve always said that I will never marry – I’ve never had a cause to, but now…I guess that anything is possible.”
Her eyes met his and suddenly she felt very shy. She broke the gaze and turned back to the view. Romily knew that after this day was done, she would have to go back to reality. Right now, reality sucked and she wanted to stay in this dream forever.

On Arthur’s comment, Romily gave him a mischievous glare. “At least now im away from my father I will”. Well, she had more freedom working for Eldon than she had done being a daughter of a Lord.

There was silence before Arthur asked whether she really thought that her father wouldn’t welcome her back. “If he were really that concerned for me, then he would’ve dragged me back to Carmelide before I’d even got out of there.” She told him, “Besides im not an heir to the estate – if I’d have been a boy then things would’ve been most certainly different. The only reason he treated me like he did was because he still grieves for my mother. My father was a very different man before she died…” Romily trailed off.
It pained her to speak of her mother so openly. At times she could handle it but sometimes she couldn’t. Like now.” There was only little that she remembered of her mother, but according to her father, Romily was every inch of who Jayne de Braose was – both in character and appearance.

"I just can not imagine such a father who, from as you speak of him, cares so little for his daughter." She was thankful when Arthur broke the silence.

“Clearly you haven’t met my father then” she gave a small wry smile

He made a joking fuss over the fact that she’d just hit him. Arthur seemed adamant that it would heal. “Glad to be of service” she nodded as he thanked her. “At least my embroidery skills have come to some use”

The came the dreaded subject of him falling on her. “You’ve no need to apologise. You were wounded and I just happened to be in the firing line” she laughed, “Anyway, im still alive, so I guess I have you to thank for that too”. At least before he fell on her he’d managed to get most of the job done.

"I can imagine it mustn't have been easy,"

She gave a small snort at this, “I’ve moved ale barrels that were lighter”. She said this in a good natured manner, not intending to offend the man who had saved her life twice that day.

His fake arrogance that he was providing was most certainly hilarious. She laughed again and then calmed herself, “I haven’t laughed this much since…well…since I can’t remember” she admitted.
Romily couldn’t laugh around her father. It wasn’t ladylike according to him – who was there to laugh with anyway? Bonnie? No, she and Bonnie never had much to laugh about. Her father didn’t let her see anyone, apart from that unfortunate time she’d found herself interrupting an important feast with the royal family of Armorica. In a way she missed Luciana, but she was glad to be away from that life.

She could see that he was in deep thought after hearing her words. She’d seen that look on many a man before. She’d become accustomed to hearing of their troubles day in and day out, even if they were complete strangers. “You keep on thinking any harder and you’ll end up with a headache” she joked.
No, this was the look that he was thinking of someone special. Romily wasn’t going to intrude though. It was up to Arthur to tell her of his thoughts.

When he asked whether she would return home, she shook her head straight away. “I shall never go back there”. She’d made that promise to herself when she left. “My father does not care for me, he never has done anyway – im sure that after all that happened he wouldn’t allow me to set foot in that house again” Not that she would inherit Wolfhall anyway. That would go to some other relative that she’d most likely have never heard of. A cousin or something. Anything that she may have had down as to inherit in the will would’ve been stuck out from it by now. Her father hadn’t come looking for her, nor would he ever will. “Lord Durwin is not a man who forgives so easily”. She sighed.

Now he was pouting, “You are such a child!” she playfully slapped her hand across his arm. She could’ve gone for the chest area but knew he was wounded around there. Then came the announcement that she wouldn’t believe him if he needed to rest. Romily came to a stop and sat down, “Let us rest then – how is your wound? Hopefully not as bad as earlier” she enquired, “it wasn’t all that easy moving you into a suitable position where I could work on you”.

Now that sounded VERY wrong. “Where I could work on your wound, that is” she fidgeted uncomfortably.

And now cue the awkward silence. And it had all been going so well too.

It was extraordinary – the way how they now seemed to be speaking at ease with one another when just a mere few hours previously they’d been jumping at their own shadows, and at one another’s attire. She couldn’t help but laugh a little more at his playful cockiness that he had going on, in fact she laughed so much that it hurt her side. She put her hand to it and nodded her head, “well if a yes is the answer you want then I suppose I will agree – in fact Arthur, you are the first man ever to end up with me in a cave and then faint on me”
She shook her head and looked at him with a grin, “you should feel privileged”. Now she was sounding like an idiot and then shook her head, “No, actually you shouldn’t” she smiled, “after all, how can ending up wounded and almost naked in a cave with a stranger be a privilege?”. How could ending up with her be a privilege??

"That is understandable. Sometimes, you just want to be treated like everyone else. In a way that titles mean nothing."

At this she looked up at him and frowned, “Yes?” she said suspiciously. Romily couldn’t have put it any better herself; it was like Arthur knew exactly how she was feeling. “You feel like people will judge you just because of who you are, when really they need to look behind the mask that you sometimes have to wear because of it.” She began. “Everyone expects you to live up to your name, who you are, how you should act, who you should marry – things like that always bothered my father, and I never felt any freedom because of it but now…now I can be the girl who I’ve always wanted to be, regardless of my unfortunate background”.

“Now you sound a little like my father” she scoffed, “Don’t do that Romily, you’ll end up with grass stains on your dress – close that window or you’ll catch a chill” she mimicked his gruff voice, “Really, im a grown woman, I know how I feel” she smiled at his concern. “I will” she nodded, “and I’ll make a compromise with you, if I start to feel faint then we’ll stop, but for now we carry on until we find somewhere to stay – truce?” she eyed him with a smirk.

She couldn’t help but laugh when Arthur began to tease her about being alone in caves with men. “Thankfully no” she grinned, “im a good girl”. Now that sounded cheesy, “oh I meet interesting people everyday, whether they’re in caves or not!”. this was true – the people who came to the inn were beyond boring. The ones that were travelling anyway.

Romily bowed her head when he said he was honoured. “There are very few who know – only two at present. No one else knows – I don’t want them to, it may force them to re-think their opinions of me”. She admitted. Romily didn’t want special treatment nor did she expect it, should anyone in the village find out about her roots of her past.

She could tell that Arthur still didn’t like the idea of how Eldon treated her. "At least it keeps you busy," he’d said a little unconvincingly in her view. She nodded quickly and smiled, “Oh it is!” it was some of the time – only when he wasn’t moaning at her. “I find my days now pass by much quicker than they used to when I was back at Wolfhall”. Most of those days had been spent in her room reading or sewing.

She kept her hand clutched at her side over her wound, Arthur now coming over to inspect what was wrong. She could immediately see by his expression that he wasn’t too happy about the look of it either. At his suggestion she shook her head. “We’ll never get to the village if I have to keep stopping – come now, lets get going before we have anymore delays. I can manage a little further,” she told him sternly. She wasn’t taking no for an answer on this one.

Holding her head high, she began to walk on. It wasn’t going to be long before they reached their destination anyway.