The sound of bells chiming just past dawn roused Raieya from sleep. She groaned, burying her face in Gwaine's shoulder.

"What is that racket?" she complained.

"The morning bells," Gwaine groggily answered. "Means I must get up soon."

"Why?" protested Raieya.

"Cause, have to eat breakfast and then training, then whatever else Arthur wants us to do for the day," he replied, yawning.

"What am I supposed to do for the day?" asked Raieya.

"Mmm," Gwaine shrugged. "We can eat breakfast together. Then you could come watch the practice."

"Where do we eat?"

"Usually here," Gwaine answered, sitting up a little and moving her with him. "Servant brings it up. We could eat in the dining hall but I prefer my rooms. Gives me more time to sleep and get ready."

Raieya nodded. "Do you have your own servant?"

"No," he replied. "There's several assigned to the knight's quarters. We share."

"Is Merlin one?"

Gwaine shook his head. "He's Arthur's personal servant. Though, I can get him to help me out if I need something."

Gwaine stretched then and moved to get out of bed, gently laying Raieya aside. He grabbed a pair of breeches out of the large wardrobe and pulled them on.

"I'll call for some breakfast," he said, putting on a clean shirt.

"Wait," protested Raieya, sitting up completely. "At least let me get my shift on before you have some servant up here."

Gwaine shrugged, picking up her shift from the ground and tossing it to her.
Raieya shivered as she moved aside the covers, quickly pulling it on. She hurried out of bed to gather her dress from the floor and put it on as well.

"It's cold in this castle," she complained.

"A bit in the mornings," said Gwaine. "I could request someone get a fire going for us."

"Or we could do it ourselves," suggested Raieya, a bit uncomfortable with the idea of servants.

She was so used to doing things herself, in fact she generally preferred it that way.

"They have to bring up the kindling anyway," shrugged Gwaine.

"Isn't it strange having servants?" asked Raieya.

"Takes some getting used to, I suppose," he replied. "It's their job though."

Raieya nodded, still doubtful.

"I'll get us breakfast now," said Gwaine. "Did you want a fire?"

Raieya shook her head. "Just breakfast. You can warm me up."

Gwaine raised his eyes at her, a mischievous look on his face.
"Oh, I can, huh?" he replied.

Raieya shook her head and closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around him.
Gwaine held her close, meeting her lips in a kiss.
Raieya smiled up at him once they broke apart, brows still touching.

"You can get us some food now," she said, caressing his cheek.

Gwaine kissed her once more before turning away from her and going over to the door. He pulled on a rope that hung near the frame.
"That goes to a bell in the servants quarters that serve the knights," Gwaine explained. "It's labeled, so they'll know who called."

Raieya nodded and a moment later there was a knock on the door.

"What can I do for you, Sir Gwaine?" came a voice as Gwaine opened the door.

Gwaine asked the servant for some breakfast and then took a seat at the table, motioning for Raieya to join him.
Gwaine started chatting about training as they waited and the servant returned with a tray a few minutes later. Raieya noticed the servant shake her head slightly at the sight of her, then she curtseyed to Gwaine and left.

"Not the first woman to have breakfast in your rooms, huh?" said Raieya, once the servant was gone.

Gwaine shrugged, taking a bite of bread. "The first woman I care about."

"Oh, please," laughed Raieya. "I know how you are."

"Irresistible," said Gwaine, with a smirk.

Raieya rolled her eyes at him.
"Nice to see becoming a knight hasn't changed you at all," she teased.

"No," agreed Gwaine. "I just get to look even better with fancy armor and a nice cloak."

Raieya laughed. "I'm looking forward to seeing how you compare with the other knights at practice."

"No comparison," said Gwaine confidently. "Better looking, better fighting."

"Well, you've had plenty of practice in the taverns," she replied.

"Real stuff," said Gwaine. "Not this training Arthur makes us do."

"So all your trouble making has paid off?"

"I'd say so," Gwaine laughed.

Raieya and Gwaine finished their breakfast and then she helped him get his armor on for the practice. Once she was finished she stepped back, examining her work.

"Looks fine, Rai," said Gwaine. "Are you ready?"

"In a moment," she replied.

She went over to her bag and dug out her brush, running it through her long red hair. When she was done, she tossed it back onto her bag and nodded to Gwaine.
He led her out the door and down several corridors until they reached a door that led outside. The guards nodded to Gwaine and opened the door. Beyond the door Raieya could see a large field enclosed in a fence, stands surrounding it on one end.

"This is our field," said Gwaine. "It's also used for all kinds of tournaments."

"Hence the stands," Raieya replied.

Gwaine nodded. "You can just watch from the fence today. Be closer."

"Ok," agreed Raieya.

"I must go meet the others in the armory," said Gwaine. "We will be out soon."

Raieya nodded and turned to go stand at the fence, while Gwaine went back into the castle.
Leaning against the rail, Raieya noticed there were several practice targets, a fence moved off to the side for jousting, and several racks for weapons. The outside of the field was decorated with flags in the Camelot red and gold and several shields bearing the Pendragon crest.
A few minutes later a door from the castle opened onto the field and several knights filed out. They were led by a blonde man, whom Raieya guessed must be Prince Arthur. She noticed a man following him who was dressed in regular clothes and assumed that must be Merlin. Behind them came several other knights, including Gwaine and Lancelot. Raieya watched as they gathered around Arthur, who seemed to be giving them instructions, then spread out in pairs. Gwaine paired off with a knight she didn't know and Raieya watched as they went through a practice round. Gwaine clearly had the upper hand against his opponent. After a bit, Arthur called for the pairs to switch and Gwaine was again paired with an unfamiliar knight. As Raieya watched, she noticed the man she thought was Merlin leaning against the fence nearby. Deciding he didn't look too busy at the moment, and curious to meet him, Raieya decided to go over and introduce herself.
She walked along the fence to where he stood, lightly tapping his shoulder.

"Hello," said Raieya. "Sorry to bother you but I was just wondering, are you Merlin?"

"I am," he nodded, smiling slightly. "I don't believe I know you, though."

"Forgive me," she replied. "I should've introduced myself first! My name is Raieya. I'm visiting Gwaine, er, Sir Gwaine that is."

"Raieya," Merlin repeated, recognizing the name. "Good to meet you. Gwaine has told me about you."

"Really?" said Raieya, pleased. She was almost surprised he thought it worth mentioning his old partner to his friends in Camelot. Not that it mattered to her whether he had or not.

"He said you travelled together for awhile. He seems quite fond of you."

"He speaks highly of you as well," said Raieya with a smile.

Merlin looked pleased as well.
"How did you come to Camelot?" he asked.

"I had heard of the Rising Sun tavern," Raieya answered. "Thought it would be a good place to perform. My second night there, Gwaine came in with his friend, Lancelot. Imagine my surprise! After losing him in Southwell, I never thought I'd see him again! We reconnected after my performance and he's insisted I stay here at the castle with him."

Merlin smiled. "I'm sure he's equally as pleased to have found you. He told me he regretted not knowing what had happened to you. Are you still playing at the tavern?"

"Well," Raieya answered. "I'm not sure actually. I did not play last night since Gwaine brought me here. I might be able to go back a few nights though before moving on. According to Gwaine, I've already found the best tavern in Camelot."

"He would know," Merlin laughed.

"He would," agreed Raieya, also laughing.

"Merlin!" called a voice, interrupting their conversation.

"Arthur," said Merlin. "Better go. Nice meeting you, Raieya. If you need anything, let me know."

"Thanks," she replied, as he hurried off to Arthur.

"Raieya!" Gwaine called, a moment later from the field. "Come here!"

Raieya shook her head slightly before sliding under the fence and meeting Gwaine. He stood with Lancelot and three other knights Raieya didn't know. One was shorter and dark skinned, the other two were both very tall and light skinned, though one was lean with curly reddish hair and a beard, while the other was very well muscled with short dark blonde hair and no beard.

"Raieya," said Gwaine, warmly. "I want you to meet my friends. Elyan-"

The shorter knight stepped forward and nodded to her.
"Pleasure," he said, with a smile.

"Percival."

The tall knight with the muscles nodded to her.
"Raieya," he greeted her.

"And Leon."

The other tall knight stepped forward briskly and nodded only slightly.
"Pleasure, I'm sure," he said quickly, not really paying attention to her. "If you'll excuse me I have an important meeting with the prince."

Raieya nodded, and Leon hurried off. This man was one of Gwaine's friends? He seemed like the opposite of someone Gwaine would normally get along with.

"Don't mind him," shrugged Gwaine. "He's always following Arthur around, keeping busy."

The others laughed knowingly.

"Oh, and you already know Lancelot," added Gwaine.

Lancelot took Raieya's hand and kissed the top of it.
"Nice to see you again, my lady," he said.

"Just Raieya," she replied. "I am no lady."

"Perhaps not noble," said Lancelot. "But still a lady."

Raieya started to protest but Gwaine interrupted.

"Raieya and I used to travel together," said Gwaine. "Before I came to Camelot we were partners."

"Really?" said Elyan. "How did you put up with him?"

"It wasn't easy," Raieya laughed.

"Don't let her fool you," smirked Gwaine. "She never would've left me."

"I threatened to," said Raieya.

"Empty threats," countered Gwaine.

"Maybe not," she replied. "But you went and got yourself captured by slave traders, so we'll never know."

"And then you tried to find me," said Gwaine, smugly.

"You went after slave traders?" asked Lancelot, surprised.

Raieya nodded. "I'm not one to break a deal and we had a deal to protect each other. Unfortunately I had a run in with a couple of the slave trader's men outside their fortress. I survived, they didn't, though one gave me a nasty cut before the end."

The knights looked at Raieya, surprised. Gwaine smirked, looking at her with what she could only describe as pride.

"I know how to wield a sword," Raieya smirked. "I was alone on the road long before I met Gwaine."

"You went in to Cenred's lands?" asked Percival.

Raieya nodded.

"You were lucky then. It's a brutal place."

"It was not far over the border," Raieya shrugged. "I knew what I was getting in to."

"How did you learn the sword?" asked Lancelot, changing the subject.

"I have three older brothers," Raieya answered. "I would not be deterred from their practice so my father allowed me to learn."

"What brought you to Camelot?" asked Elyan.

"I'm a traveling minstrel," explained Raieya. "I had heard the Rising Sun tavern was a great place to perform. That's where I came across Gwaine."

"No surprise there," laughed Percival.

"You're with me most of the time," retorted Gwaine.

"The tavern is everyone's go to place when we're not on duty," pointed out Elyan.

Raieya laughed. "No wonder it's known for doing good business."

They chatted about the tavern for a bit longer then the group went different ways to get lunch and prepare for the rest of their day.

"We have a meeting this afternoon," Gwaine explained, as he and Raieya walked back to his chambers.

Raieya nodded, trying to focus on memorizing their path as they went, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the size of the castle.

"You can do as you please," continued Gwaine. "Explore the castle or stay in my chambers. I should be back in time for dinner. Would you like to dine privately again?"

"I would like that," Raieya agreed.

Gwaine smiled, opening the door for her as they reached his chambers.
As they stepped inside, Raieya noticed his dirty clothes had been picked up, their dishes removed, and the bed made.
Gwaine called for lunch, which they ate together at the table, chatting about the training, the knights, and the castle.

After lunch Gwaine left for the knights meeting and Raieya resolved to practice while he was gone.
Around dinner time he returned. She helped him out of his armor, then he called for dinner for them.
After dinner they stayed up late into the night, once again making love. Their time apart had done nothing to change their insatiable desire for each other. If anything, it had made it worse.
When at last they were satisfied, they fell asleep in each others arms, happy to be together once more.