The summer sun glints off the shimmering surface of the water of the white marble fountain as Ana sits perched on the edge, trailing her fingers over the water.

"I'm still waiting on my answer."

She turns to look at Ser Gilmore, who stands nearby in his glimmering armor. "Oh?" She asks, her lips curling up into a coy smile. "I don't remember the question."

He chuckles, casting a quick glance around before kneeling before her. Taking her hand in his, his pale green eyes peer admiringly into her electric blue ones. "Marry me." He whispers. "If you say yes, I can speak with your father tonight. Bryce is already fond of me."

"He's fond of you because he's known you since you were a boy." Ana points out thoughtfully. "Besides," She smirks. "That wasn't a question."

"Fine." He clears his throat which earns a laugh from her. "My dearest Ana, will you marry me and make me the happiest man in all of Thedas?"

"I-" Her smile falls as she looks away, her gaze falling on her mabari, Much, who lies stretched out by her feet. Ser Gilmore takes notice and mimics her expression.

"What's wrong, my love? Have I upset you?"

Her eyes lift to meet his once more. "Rory...I love you, you know that."

"And I love you." He says, his brow furrowing. He traces small circles into the back of her palm. "I don't understand why you look so sad. Is that not something you want?"

She could hear the tinge of hurt in his voice and sighs. "It's not that." She rises from her seat, waking Much from his lazy slumber. His eyes turn upward as she looks at her, tilting his head with a decisive sniff.

"Then what is it?"

She looks around them anxiously, before grabbing his hand and pulling out of sight of the doors of the castle. Once behind a tall hedge, she pushes him toward it as her hand slides to the back of his head, his hands encircling her waist. Her fingers entangle in his dark red hair and she reaches up with her other hand to caress his stubbled jaw, her eyes search his. "Rory, I do want to marry you... someday."

"Then say yes!" He frowns. He brings a gauntleted hand to her cheek, tucking a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear. "We wouldn't have to marry right away. We could remain engaged for as long as you want and continue as we do now, only it would no longer have to be in secret." He watches her conflicted expression. "What do you say?"

"I doubt we'd be able to do everything that we currently do." She smirks,her cheeks reddening slightly as she looks up at him. "I'm sure my father wouldn't be pleased with what we did last night."

Roderick chuckles. "Ah yes... that would still have to be done in secret. I'm surprised they didn't hear us. You were prettyloud and sound tends to travel, especially in that particular corridor."

She scoffs, playfully whacking his arm. "That was your fault."

He laughs and pulls her to him once more, his lips capturing hers. "Mm. I did love the sounds you made." He breathes, his hand reaching to cup her rear in her dress to pull her closer.

She leans into the kiss, savoring the taste of wine that lingered on his lips from their picnic earlier.

He breaks the kiss and looks down at her. "Then what is it? What is preventing you from saying yes?"

She frowns, her fingers lightly grazing the red stubble along his jawline. "I just want us to enjoy our youth and...this." She says, leaning to rest her forehead on his."I love knowing that we have this little secret that is all ours." She pulls away slightly to look him in the eye. Her lips curling upward. "It makes our nights together that much..." She reaches down, her finger grazing the outline of his half hard cock in his trousers. "Hotter."

"Careful, love." He growls. "I might have to take you right here behind this hedge."

She giggles as she presses her lips against his once more.

Pulling away, a smile creeps up to his lips. "Maker, how things have changed over the years. "

She nods, tracing the neckline of his tunic which peeks out at the top of his armor. "We were playmates for the longest time. I remember when you first arrived. You were such a small boy at six years old."

"Seven actually." He corrects. "My father spoke with your father and left me here to train to be a knight."

"Ah yes." Ana says, smiling at the memory. "You were just a page boy back then."

"Aye." He nods. "I was. We often played when you would skip out of your tutoring lessons. You told me they were always far too boring for our liking."

"They were! Ana laughs. "They were always about the Banns, Teyrns, and other nobles and the lands they owned." She shrugs. "Fergus is the oldest and a boy so he'll take over as Teyrn after my father." She frowns. "I'm most likely to be married off. There's no point in learning such things."

He gently touches her chin, his thumb grazing her bottom lip. "Fergus may be first in line, my love, but it's still important to learn. It could come in handy someday." He frowns. "What if something happens to Fergus? You'd be next in line."

Pushing away from him, she shakes her head defiantly. "Why would anything happen to him?" She frowns, her brows drawing together. "The Couslands are beloved by our people! There are many people who even believe that my father should be king instead of Cailan!"

His frowns. "Your family is loved but that doesn't mean that you don't have enemies, my love. It's not uncommon for somebody to rise up— "

"No." She snaps, crossing her arms over her chest. "That won't happen! My father and Fergus are good and brave men. If any man is foolish enough to rise against us, they'll easily be taken down. Howe for one wouldn't allow that to happen. As soon as there's a threat, he'll have his men ready to fight. He's sworn an oath!"

Never liking to see her get upset, he sighs, taking her face in his hands. "I know you don't like talking about such things..." He offers her a smile. "Let's talk about something else then, shall we? I was there when you got Much, remember?"

Her smile slowly returns. "I do. It was my name day and my father called me into the great hall." She looks down at her dog with a loving smile. He gives a low woof and she scratches him between his ears. "You were so little back then!" She coos.

He gives her a happy bark and licks her hand. Roderick laughs. "It's a shame that Nan never cared much for him."

Ana wrinkles her nose. "Mabaris are too much of a hassle for young noble ladies!" She quotes, punctuating with a laugh. "She was just mad that he liked to chew on everything and ruined her favorite wooden spoon."

He watches her admiringly as she looks down at her hound. The sun making the reddish tint in her dark hair more prominent. "For the longest time, I always saw you as just a playmate and yet, strangely, one day I didn't." She turns to him, a smile playing on her lips. "Suddenly, I noticed how beautiful you were..."

She raises a brow. "Were?" She teases, with a mock frown.

"Are." He corrects himself with a chuckle. "I remember how one night, when I was assigned to the night patrol during your father's ball, you snuck out and bumped into me."

"I remember that night." She chuckles. "Lord Irving's dull son was trying to dance with me. He spoke for at least an hour about his favorite type of lock." She grimaces at the memory. "Once he turned to speak with a man I made him bump into, I quickly escaped. I turned to make sure he wasn't following and ran right into you." Turning from her, he motions for her to join him as they began to walk side by side, her hand resting on his arm. "We kissed that night, if I recall." She says, keeping her voice low..

"We did." His eyes flick over to her. "My heart was racing and I felt my cheeks burn as I helped you to your feet. You looked so beautiful that night in your shimmering gown..." He chuckles at the thought. "When you offered for me to join you in the garden, I couldn't resist." He looks away as though suddenly self-conscious. "We didn't speak much back then with exception of the occasional tutoring or weapons training lesson but I thought of you often. Some days, I thought of little else."

She gapes at him. "Really? You never told me this."

He shrugs. "At the time, I figured you didn't feel the same since you're the Teyrn's daughter and I was just a simple squire." He shoots her a grin."I admired you from afar and even hoped I would see you whenever I patrolled the corridors."

She bites her lower lip. "I must confess, I thought of you often as well."

"Oh?" He asks, raising a brow.

Ana nods. "I used to watch you during your training sessions in the courtyard. I used to tell people I was there to watch my brother and learn but I was mostly there to see you." Her lips curl up into a grin. "That night of the ball, I remember we strolled through the gardens and in one secluded corner, you kissed me."

"How could I not?" He chuckles, his eyes meeting hers. "The way you looked that night in the moonlight, you were just begging to be kissed."

She bites her lip. "I was hoping the entire stroll that you would." She giggles. "Then my father assigned you as my personal guard a few days after you were knighted."

"And now look at us." He smiles, touching her hand. They stop walking. "We've been through so much together that I can't imagine going through life without you by my side." He cups her cheek with a smile. "So I ask you again, Ana. Will you marry me?"

Ana opens her mouth to speak as she hears their names being called from the other side of the hedge. They quickly separate and Ana smooths down her hair and dress as her father's steward, Howard Taylor, appears from behind the hedge and looks between them before his gaze lands on Ana. "Ah, there you are! I've been looking all over for you."

"Well, here I am." She says coolly, spreading her hands before her. "What do you need?"

Well accustomed with her sass, he ignores her irritation. "Your tutor said you were late." He shoots Ser Gilmore a glare. "Your guard is supposed to ensure that you show up and yet here you are..."

Before Roderick can say anything in his defense, Ana speaks up. "Well, truthfully, that was my fault." The steward's gaze shifts.

"Pardon?"

"I was playing a practical joke on Ser Gilmore and ran off. He had actually just found me moments before you did and was about to take me back to my lessons."

Once more, his gaze shifts to Gilmore who shrugs with a sheepish grin. He sighs heavily. "Very well. Just make sure she meets with her tutor and actually stays there." Gilmore nods and he turns back to Ana. "Your father and mother will hear about this."

"That's nothing new from you, Tattle-Taylor." She mutters.

"What was that, Lady Ana?"

"Nothing." She lies, smiling sweetly. "We'll be right there."

He eyes her suspiciously but turns on his heel and begins walking back towards the castle. Once he's out of earshot, Ana's smile falls into a scowl. "I really hate that man."

Roderick chuckles. "I'm sure most people do. I'm pretty sure that if it wasn't for Howe, he wouldn't be working here."

"Ugh." She sneers. "It's almost as bad as when Howe proposed that I marry his son... what's his name?"

"Nathaniel, I believe."

"Yeah..." She shakes her head. "He just wants to be linked to our family. If he wasn't my father's old friend, I would have thought he was looking to replace him as Teyrn of Highever." She shrugs and pushes the thought from her mind. "I guess I should get going to my lesson then." She sighs, grimacing.

"Probably." He grins, motioning towards the castle. "Then, shall we, my lady?"

"Might as well."

Later that night, Ana lounged in her room as her elven handmaiden, Nonni, quietly brushed and plaited her long dark hair. She watches the flame of the candle on the table before her flicker, her face drawn in a thoughtful expression. "Nonni." She suddenly says. "Can you fetch me that lavender oil that was sent to me?"

The woman nods and appears by her side, holding out a vial. Taking it from her, she thanks her and dismisses her for the night. Once Nonni leaves the room, Ana sighs and drips some oil on her fingertips, smiling to herself as she dabs some behind her ears, on her chest and a bit on her wrists which she rubs together. Rising, she throws on her silken robe over her thin night rail and walks over to the door. As she creaks it open to peer out, Much, who was lying at the end of the bed, raises his head.

"Stay here, Much." Ana whispers, glancing out to the hallway once more. "I'll be right back."

Much lets out a soft whine but lowers his head on his paws as his owner ducks out the room. Ana tiptoes down the long hallway as she makes her way towards Roderick's chamber. Normally, the knights would share a sleeping quarters but, after he had been assigned as her private guard, she had been able to convince her father to give him a private chamber close to hers to "keep an eye on her" in case of danger. Sticking to the shadows, she makes it to his room and looks around before knocking on the door. She shifts anxiously from one foot to the other as she waits until finally the door opens.

"Ana!" He says, his brows shooting up in surprise. Peeking his head out the door, he looks around before motioning her in and shuts the door. "My love, what are yo—" He turns around and stops mid-sentence as she loosens the strings on the chest of her nightgown. She had already discarded her robe on the nearby chair and smirks at him as she beckons him over.

A grin starts to form on Roderick's face as his eyes move over the womanly curves of his lover's body. "Did anybody see you?" He asks as he steps toward her. As he draws closer, he strips off his own shirts and drops them to the rug before taking her face in his hands. His lips find hers and their lips move in sync before he pulls away to meet her gaze. Deep within those electric blue eyes, he saw that desire that matched his own. "Mm, you smell lovely..." His thumb grazes her soft jawline. "Have you changed your mind?"

She raises a brow. "About?"

"My proposal." He says, practically growling as he leans forward to nip at her jaw. "It would make these meetings easier and less risky." His hands rove from their place on her hips to her waist. He could feel his growing arousal beginning to press against the thin fabric of his trousers as he envisioned the soft, creamy skin beneath the fabric of her night gown. "Just imagine it, my love. As your husband, I could visit your chambers every night and nobody could say a thing about it."

Placing a hand on his chest, she leads him back towards the bed. "Yes, but sneaking around and sleeping together in secret is way more exciting." She purrs. As the back of his legs graze the edge of the bed, Ana's hands had already travelled lower and were working on loosening the strings of his trousers. Playfully, she shoves him back on the bed and bites her lips as he looks up at her. "Besides, as soon as we were married, my parents would expect grandchildren." Pulling the neckline down, exposing her bare shoulders, she shoots him a mischievous grin before shrugging it off. As it falls to the floor, she stands there as Roderick's eyes move from her face, down her neck, across her pert breasts and her flat, taut stomach to the downy patch of hair between her legs.

As he watches her, he feels his heart quicken. "Maker, you're beautiful." He breathes. As she walks toward him, he grins. "I'll never understand how I became so lucky to have such a woman like you."

Kneeling on the bed between his legs, which dangles over the edge, she slowly crawls over him so that her naked body hovers above his. His hands instinctively reached up, caressing the smooth curves of her body, pausing once to tuck a rogue lock of dark brown hair that had fallen out of her braid behind her ear. His eyes move over her elegant face, the candle on the little table beside the bed warming the color of her fair skin and making her eyes glow. She sits up, straddling his lap as his half-hard cock twitches beneath the fabric barrier.

"Tell me..." She says as he sits up, wrapping his arms around her. The rough stubble of his jaw rubbing against her skin as he kisses down the center of her chest. His hand cups her right breast, his calloused fingers circling around the already hardened nipple.

"Hm?" He mutters.

"Would you really want to give this up?" She asks, cutting off with a moan as he takes it in his mouth, the heat of his breath and the playful licks around the sensitive nubs sending excited chills down her spine.

He continues his teasing, alternating until they're tender and swollen from her lover's attention before reaching below her nightgown with practiced hands. Every so often, he'd reach down and rub lazy circles into her slit, making her press her hips forward with whispered pleas. He grins, he's loving every moment of this playful torture.

He flips her so she's pinned beneath him. He nips at her neck, pinning her arms as she squirms as his fingers run over her slick folds, pressing just enough to barely sink his fingers in. She pushes her hips forward and he pulls away, earning an annoyed groan.

"Rory..." Ana mutters, her eyes meeting his with a pleading expression.

"You still have yet to give me a definite answer, my love." He teases, his voice thick wth desire.

"That's not fair." She pouts. "What if I say no?"

His fingers stop as he frowns. "Is that your answer?" He releases her and sits as she springs up into an upright position beside him. "After all this time and all this, you don't want to get married?"

"At this very moment? No." Ana frowns. She shifts to face him, placing a hand on his thigh as she meets his saddened gaze. "Rory... I love you and marrying you some day would make me the happiest woman in the world but..." She sighs. "I doubt my father would like that. If it were up to him, I would already be betrothed! He already had a possible suitor."

Roderick's gaze darkens. "Who? Nathaniel Howe?"

Ana shrugs. "Some boy from the Free Marches. Leon Trevelyan, I believe." She reaches up to touch his face as her eyes search his. "It doesn't matter. I love you and, if the Maker is kind, we'll marry someday. For now..." Offering him a smile, she straddles his lap once more, encircling her arms around his neck. "Let's just enjoy being young and in love."

"Fine." He sighs, reaching up to cup her cheek. His thumb traces her full lower lip. "Then how about this..." He looks into her eyes. "I, Roderick Gilmore, vow here and now, to be with you, Analise Cousland, and only you as long as I live."

She bites her lip with a grin. "Are you promising yourself to me?"

"I am." He grins. "If you're not ready for marriage yet, I will at least pledge myself to you until you are."

She presses her hips forward, the head of his cock pressing against her slit from beneath the fabric barrier. He lets out a small groan before looking up at her with lust-filled eyes. "You minx." He smirks. She giggles as their lips meet and he flips her over once more.

As he fumbles with his trousers, there's a sharp rap on the door that makes them stop. Ana gasps as her eyes widen. Roderick puts a finger to his lips to make sure she stays quiet as he crawls back off the bed. "One moment!" He calls. He quickly picks up his discarded shirts and pulls them back on, motioning for Ana to put her nightgown and robe back on as he heads toward the door. As he gets close, he waits a moment before Ana has a chance to pull her robe on before he opens the door just enough to speak with the squire on the other side.

"Sorry for disturbing you, Ser." The boy says. "Have you seen Lady Ana? I found her dog wandering the halls."

Muttering under her breath, she rushes over to the door and pulls it open, ignoring the squires surprise as she looks down. "Much! There you are!"

"M'lady!" The squire exclaims, bowing. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean— "

"Thank you so much for finding him!" Ana says, kneeling to hug her hound, receiving happy licks in return. "He disappeared from my room and I was so worried!" She lies, "I came here to see if Ser Gilmore had seen him, a few moments before you arrived."

The squire looks between them. "You're very welcome, M'lady. He was sniffing around the servants' quarters when I saw him."

"Thank you again, Nico." Roderick nods. "You can head to bed. I'll escort Lady Ana back to her room."

The squire's cheeks redden as he nods. "Of course." He bows to Ana. "Goodnight M'lady."

As the squire leaves, Roderick closes the door behind them and emits a sigh of relief. "Maker, that was close." He frowns.

Ana frowns at Much. "What are you doing here? I told you I'd be right back!" Much bows his head with a whine. Ana scratched him behind his ears. "You're lucky I love you."

He gives a short bark and is instantly shushed by his owner. Sighing, she stands up and walks over to Roderick. Pulling her into an embrace, he rests his forehead against hers. "I guess I should probably take you back to your room." He mutters. "I wish you could sleep here beside me."

"I know." She frowns. Cupping his stubbled jaw, she presses a kiss to his lips. Their kiss deepens until Much gives a low bark which makes them separate.

"Okay!" Ana groans. "So impatient."

Roderick chuckles as he opens the door and motions for them to go. Much runs ahead and waits just outside the door as Ana exits the room with Ser Gilmore in tow.

As they reach her room, Ana lets Much back into the room before turning to face Ser Gilmore.

"Thank you again for finding my dog." She says, in case a guard is patrolling nearby. "For such a kind act, you should be rewarded!"

She turns from him to walk into the room. "That's really not necessary..." He says, stepping into the room. He's instantly cut off as she turns and pulls him into a kiss, pushing the door closed enough to conceal them. He hesitantly wraps his arms around her and begins to deepen the kiss before she pulls away, sporting a huge grin.

"Goodnight, Ser Gilmore." She says as she leads him to the door. As he steps out I into the hallway, she leans against her door. Letting her robe fall open, he sees her creamy breast through her thin nightgown in the light of the nearby torch. Feeling the blood begin to rush downwards, he clears his throat.

"Yes... goodnight Lady Ana."