Author's Notes: In my human noble run through I found the character of Ser Gilmore very alluring, it was sad what happened to him and at the time of writing my rough draft of this, there weren't any fics about him (Although someone has beaten me to posting the first now xP) but I'm sure there are a few hidden fans so this is for you – please let me know what you think and if it has potential – thanks.

I'd also like to thank Squeeze-the-fish for taking the time to edited this for me - Much appreciated!


Love Is A Curious Thing;
Chapter One: In The Beginning

She could still remember the first time they'd ever met. She had been patrolling the halls of the castle with her hound. Well, wandering the halls more like, but she used to pretend to be one of the guards on duty to pass the time. Some of the real guards would even play along; ask if she had seen anything amiss, but really they would just smile to themselves at how cute she was.

"No sir – nothing today!" she would say all serious like, before moving along.

"Darling!" Eleanor called her daughter over. "Your father wanted you to meet someone – this is Ser Gilmore." The Cousland girl scrunched her face in disapproval as she gave the boy a onceover. His red hair was unusually straight, his eyes dark and weary, and his skin was unnaturally pale with a weird pink blush upon his boned cheeks. Nadine looked up at her mother, "Do try to be nice darling!" she whispered before rushing off.

"Hello." This 'Ser Gilmore' spoke making her like him even less.

Nadine kneeled down beside her Mabari before whispering something into his ear, and when she arose again, an evil grin found its way onto her lips. The war hound instantly started barking violently at Ser Gilmore as if he were some kind of fierce bandit, but never did the dog take it further than that. However, it was enough to scare the poor boy half to death, and as he fled for his life – the Cousland daughter cackled manically to herself.

Many times after that did Ser Gilmore try and try to win over Nadine – they were still too young to have the thought of marriage bind them, but still, something about this girl caught his attention and he wanted to know her better. He was however, unsure what it was about her that he actually liked; her creative mind maybe..? Or maybe it was the fact that she strived to be a strong independent woman already – he honestly couldn't say.

As the pair grew older and Nadine matured more, she began to realize and accept her ever growing feelings toward Ser Gilmore. He was but a few years older than her and had already learnt of his feelings for her. They were both too shy to admit what they felt though, and so, they settled for being friends for the moment.

That didn't stop Ser Gilmore from openly discussing his disapproval of every man Nadine had been paired with as a potential suitor by her mother. Feeling so strongly for Gilmore, Nadine turned down each and every man instantly – despite the fact some of them were kind and overly attractive; they just weren't the man she secretly desired.

The two carried on fooling each other. There was, on occasion, light flirting but that never developed into anything further. Nadine spent every moment she could with Ser Gilmore and he was happy to have her at his side. She even found her passion for fighting from him. It started out with her just watching as he trained with her father's army. Oh how she loved to see him topless in the sun- the sweat running down his muscular body… Sometimes, she even fantasized about him – his naked body against hers – a fantasy she'd never admit to, at least... not first!

Then there were the times he showed her a few moves with his sword. She'd play coy – pretend she really didn't understand the positions just so he could move behind her, where she pressed her back against his chest, and he'd take her hands in his as he positioned them on the hilt properly. He was always so gentle with her and everyday it got harder for Nadine to hide her feelings for him, and yet, she just couldn't stay away from him either. Every time they were apart she yearned for him, and every time they were together she wanted nothing more than for him to take her in his arms and kiss her.

"We've grown so close since the first time we met," Ser Gilmore said from behind Nadine. She had been playing dumb with the sword positions again, forcing Gilmore to reshow her – but he was no fool.

"Sorry?"

"The first time we met, when you told your Mabari to terrify me," Ser Gilmore chuckled. "Doesn't feel like all that long ago does it?" He moved Nadine's fingers until he was satisfied.

"There. You should achieve a strong blow like that." He released the girl from his grip and took a step away.

"What… what were your first impressions of me?" Nadine asked, releasing one hand from the hilt, letting the blade drop to her side as she turned to eye her trainer.

"You don't really want to know, do you?" he chuckled and when she nodded in response, he spoke again. "I thought you were a spoilt little girl who didn't like to share." Not quite the response she had hoped for but it did seem like a fair opinion.

"And… what about now?" Her words held more caution in them now, as she slyly looked at him from the corner of her eye. Ser Gilmore took the sword from her possession before answering.

"That you're a spoilt older girl who still doesn't like to share," he teased with a chuckle, but Nadine wasn't as amused. She forced a smile when he finally looked toward her however – but alas, he knew her well enough now to know that her lips could easily lie; it was her eyes that held the truth, and when he looked into them, he could see she wasn't happy.

"You know how I feel about you Nadine," he whispered closing the gap between their bodies. He reached out, caressing her cheek with his hand. He was as gentle with her as always – as if she were the most precious thing to him in the entire world.

"Then why haven't we moved on from this?" she asked, hints of sadness clinging to her words. He pulled her into a sudden embrace – locking his arms protectively around her. She was taken a little off guard by his sudden actions. She had felt him hold her before, but never like this!

"Because we are not meant to." He finally spoke the words he never wanted to admit.