Chapter 1: Innocent
"Rhiane, would you take the ale out to the boys?" Vanora asked, a crying baby on her hip.
"Of course," Rhiane instinctively grabbed seven mugs and set them on a silver tray. She quickly counted the knights sitting at the small table her eyes finally resting on one them. She watched him throw back his head and laugh.
"Why are you counting them? It's not as if one of them grew an extra head," Vanora gazed at her with an analyzing stare. "You're not staring at him again are you?" She sighed, "Rhiane, just go and talk to him."
Rhiane's cheeks turned pink. "I just wanted to make sure they were all there. You never know, one of them could have been killed. It's happened before."
"Were you seeing that they were all there or were you just making sure he was there?" Vanora raised her eyebrows.
"Both," Rhiane busied herself with filling the mugs with ale. She had always watched him from afar, too shy to get any closer than she dared, though she longed too. She could never manage to say more than a few rushed words to him before she fled from the room, her face red as the setting sun. A childish crush from the moment she had first laid eyes on him.
"You'll never know how he feels about you until you talk to him, or at least stay in the same room as him for more than five minutes," Vanora sighed.
"He barely knows I exist. I'm sure he doesn't even know my name. Even if he did, it wouldn't matter. I'd still be nothing more than a silly girl to him. Besides, I can't be in a room with him for more than five seconds without turning red, or dropping something."
"You don't know that. You're only a few years younger than he is. You shouldn't doubt yourself so much."
"Still, he could have any woman he chooses. Why would he ever choose me?"
"You kind, sweet, helpful, smart, and you're very pretty. If he doesn't choose you, he's dumber than he looks."
"Thank you, but I'm not that pretty." Rhiane sat the now full mugs back on the tray.
"Yes, you are. Some of the other girls would kill for your looks."
Rhiane quickly glanced at herself in a dusty, cracked mirror. She brushed some of her light brown hair from her freckled face, revealing big, amber eyes. She never considered herself pretty, yet she never thought she was ugly either.
"I'm not as pretty as you. You don't even look as if you've had eleven kids."
"Thank you, Rhiane. Now, take the ale out there before there's a riot," Vanora said, beaming at her.
Rhiane lifted the heavy tray and made her way towards the table. The knights were laughing at some joke when she arrived at their table. She placed a mug in front of Vanora's lover, Bors.
"It's about time," Bors said, taking a large gulp of his ale, before helping her pass out the other mugs. Bors and Vanora were very much like her, there was no other word for it, parents. After she had been orphaned and brought to Hadrian's Wall, Vanora and Bors had looked after her.
As she handed a mug to Dagonet, a big knight with a heart of gold, she felt herself being pulled back onto someone's lap.
"How are you, lovely?" she heard Lancelot's voice whisper in her ear.
"I wouldn't be trying to seduce Rhiane if were you, Lancelot," said Bors, grinning.
"Why's that?" Lancelot rested his head on her shoulder and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Because if Vanora catches you, she'll knick your head off," Dagonet stated.
Sure enough Vanora's angry voice filled the air, "Lancelot, unhand her now!"
"I don't know what you're accusing me of, Vanora!" Lancelot said innocently, pushing Rhiane into Galahad's vacant lap. Rhiane felt color rising in her face.
"You leave her be, Lancelot. She's not one of your whores," Vanora scolded, eyes flaring.
"She's sitting on Galahad's lap, not mine! Why aren't you yelling at him?" Lancelot gestured at Galahad, who's brow was furrowed at him accusingly.
"You put her there! It's not his fault you were preying on an innocent young woman!"
"I'm innocent, too!" Lancelot said, trying to keep an insulted tone.
"Innocent my ass," Gawain muttered. The knights laughed, but stopped with one glare from Vanora.
"What? Are you going to say that Galahad is innocent?"
"He's more innocent than you will ever be!"
"He's not that innocent, believe me," Gawain said, grinning at Rhiane. Galahad shot a glare at him, but couldn't help smiling. She felt her heart flutter as he did so.
"Vanora, it's alright. I let him do it," Rhiane said, reluctantly getting up from Galahad's lap.
"Fine," Vanora shot Lancelot another glare before following Rhiane to the kitchen.
Vanora busied herself with the dishes, muttering angrily under her breath. Rhiane took that opportunity to return her attention to the knights. They had returned to their jokes and laughter as though it had never been interrupted. Lancelot's lap wasn't empty for long, for another tavern maid now occupied it. Rhiane watched Galahad with misty eyes. The ale was starting to have its effect on him. He was laughing at rather stupid things and becoming unsteady. He brushed some of his curls away from his glittering eyes. Rhiane sighed and smiled. Someday maybe he'd notice her. Notice her enough to hold more than a three second long conversation with her. Maybe someday he would feel the same way she felt about him...someday...
