A/N: Thank you to those reviewing the story, following, favoriting, and going back and reading, and favoriting my other stories. And one special note to oz1dke: I wanted to assure you that I got your sarcasm and humor the first time and understood it completely. I appreciate your wanting more chapters. I plan to write more. Plan being the key word. Thank you for your encouragement.
"How are things going with the new squire? Any reason to go back to your 'I don't have time for a squire right now'?" Roald looked up from his paperwork at the asker. Sir Faleron of King's Reach was nursing a goblet full of wine and was looking over some papers of his own. Roald's other friends were pretending to be absorbed in their own work but not very convincingly. Of course Roald knew it was Faleron that had asked and the others simply wanted to hear what he would say. He had, after all, managed to keep Gwen away from their nightly gatherings so she wouldn't feel obligated to serve while she was still injured. Not that he would ever hear the end of it from Neal if she reopened one of her chest wounds because she had to carry a pitcher and cups all night.
Before the Midsummer Ball Roald had been adamant that he had no time whatsoever for a squire. And he had been correct. He had had to think of such things each year when the Big Exams rolled around and his friends considered taking squires. Each year since he had been knighted the answer became more and more solidly a 'no' to having the time to do justice to training a squire properly. His parents were entrusting more and more of the realm's work to him. He met with royal advisors, attended council meetings, entertained diplomats, and started to put together his own advisors. And that was on top of being a husband, a father, a sibling, a son, and a friend. He didn't have time to add a squire that required constant attention and education. He barely had time to keep up on his physical training, which Gwen had proven and Faleron and Neal had berated him for. Now he was supposed to be in charge of her physical training as well as her continued mental education all while trying to instill the values of a knight in her? He really didn't have the time.
His father and friends, as well as other random knights, tried to convince him multiple times over that a squire made things easier. He would have less eventually once a squire was in place and trained to help him. And he knew there were many knights who took on squires just to use them for the extra hands. But Roald had been trained by a true knight, Sir Imrah of Legann. He owed it to a squire to train him or her to their maximum potential. And he knew his own circle of friends, his father, and his father's circle of friends wouldn't blame him for being a mediocre knight master but they wouldn't appreciate it either. None of them were anything short of excellent in their areas of expertise and nothing short of amazing as teachers in those areas. If he couldn't offer excellence to his squire then he didn't deserve to take them from someone who could train them properly.
But then again, after he had told Gwen he needed to be reminded of what duties he owed to her, she had taken on the lion's share of planning out her education. She was there in the mornings with her books and her slate. He didn't even know where she got the formulas she worked out on his mathematics slate. How many bowstrings did a commander need for x number of people in y condition for z amount of time? And the books? She seemed to be spot on for what a squire should be reading, or a squire in his or her final year.
"I think, and I'm just guessing here as she is still recovering, that I won't have much of a reason to claim I don't have the time." Roald grinned. Myles had approached him earlier that day regarding Gwen's poking around for information on the Tusaine diplomats that he would be meeting with. Where she had heard that was one of his current focuses he would never guess because it was fairly hushed up and he certainly hadn't mentioned the meetings to her, but she was already trying to make herself useful without pressuring him.
"And what happens if suddenly there is no time at all?" Neal pressed. "Who are you going to shove her education on?" That Neal was protective of Gwen came as no shock to Roald. She was his patient and as his patient, he viewed it as his prerogative to guard her. Once she was fully healed and he didn't have to check on her often, his protectiveness would fade. It happened with almost all of Neal's extended care patients. The only people that could be fully healed and still be on Neal's protection list were Kel, his wife, and his daughter. So until Gwen was healed, she was being guarded by Neal whether she knew it or not. The odds of Neal being protective of her if Roald ever did find his duties to her to be overwhelming were slim, but the odds of Neal throwing in an 'I told you so' were much higher.
"Gwen and I will talk about it if that time should ever come," Roald drained his cup of cider. "Right now, I don't see that time coming. I mean, I still have time to sit amongst the lot of you." And he did, it was something he did every night. It wasn't exactly purely social time as almost every single one of them had work to deal with. Roald was never without paperwork and he knew Kel almost always had paperwork from the King's Own though she was in no official position. He got less work done than he would have with extra time in his own study but it was the only good time for them to spend together. His work didn't suffer all that much by it.
"You could bring Gwen you know," Faleron added. "This would be a good time for you to work on her intellectual education. And if you are busy with something else, I can always assist. Right now I'd rather be doing anything but this."
"Thank you, Fal, but Gwen takes her squire duties seriously. Until she can do an actual service during this time, she won't be allowed near this room. And as for her intellectual education, we work on that during the morning right now." Roald explained. "I let her have this time to herself and we may keep it that way."
"And what papers are you working on that have no ranking in your priorities?" Sir Merric of Hollyrose demanded once everyone acknowledged what Roald had said. As Faleron's cousin he did more teasing of Faleron than anyone else.
"Mother has sent me yet more descriptions of ladies she thinks I should court. I'm apparently starting to get to that age where she has decided I need to marry and give her grandchildren." Faleron sighed.
"You are twenty-four. Clearly you need a push." Sir Seaver of Tasride reached over and stole one of the papers. "How about Lady Isabelle? She can play the lap harp and flute. She enjoys embroidery. And has quite the dowry."
"You're not helping," Faleron growled.
"As if this group was ever helpful in matters of the heart," Neal threw an arm out dramatically and caught Gwen as she stepped through the door in the arm. As suddenly as Neal realized who he had hit he was on his feet with his hands glowing dark emerald green.
"I'm fine," she told Neal attempting to shrug him off.
"I thought I told you to take this time for yourself," Roald only glanced up to see who it was before he went back to his paperwork.
"And you know I'm all for following your orders," Gwen started. Roald was certain that he detected a hint of sarcasm in her voice but he would never get her to admit to it. "Lord Padraig requested that I deliver this to you as it is my duty as your squire to handle your messages and there is no reason I cannot run messages." As she stepped forward he realized she was completely out of uniform wearing a pair of green breeches and a thin cotton gray shirt with her hair dark hair hanging down to her chest in waves rather than her normal knot at the back of her head. After she was no longer on bed rest she had always been in her uniform either palace of Conte and had always had her hair up. It was a testament that she truly hadn't been expecting to disobey his orders.
"Well then, what's the message?" Roald looked up at her face and saw her smile before handing over the sealed note. He opened it while she waited, standing nearby but not hovering.
"Gwen, how are your studies going?" Faleron drew her away.
"How did you do with those formulas I gave you?" Kel asked before Gwen could answer.
"Very well, Lady Knight. I appreciate that you took time to write them down for me." Gwen blushed when Roald looked up at her in surprise. Gwen had gone to Kel for mathematics. Perhaps she didn't think Roald had time to write out equations for her in the morning. Or perhaps this was more of her taking her education into her own hands. But he certainly didn't want Kel, of all the by the book people, to think he was shirking his duty to his squire.
"Stop by the Own's training grounds tomorrow, I'll have some more. I asked Captain Domitan of Third Company to get me copies of his supply sheets." Kel patted the empty chair next to her. "My Lord will say it and I will too, none of the other Captains in the Own fill out a supply sheet so well."
"And Captain Domitan doesn't mind making copies?" Gwen asked, looking at the floor as she edged closer to Kel.
"Sir Raoul uses his supply sheets as examples all of the time. He's used to it. I'll write the formulas on the sheet so you know how he got to his answers." Kel assured her.
"Thank you, Gwen, there will be no return note. You may resume your free time." Roald informed her. Immediately Gwen bowed and left the room.
"That sounded like a royal order rather than how you addressed her coming in," Neal pointed out.
"Kel, Gwen asked you for mathematics instruction?" Roald ignored the comment and turned his attention fully on Kel.
"Not exactly," Kel set down her work and turned to look at Roald. "She happened to be by the Own's practice courts watching some of their training. I went over to talk to her and she asked what I do for the Own now. We talked about supply lists and she started asking questions about how I figure out what's needed. The current Master in the mathematics room doesn't explain any practical applications of the algebra he has them working through."
"So you just thought you'd help her on her mathematics?" Roald pressed.
"I thought I'd answer her questions and give her answers related to supply lists. Roald you aren't exactly in a position to teach her such things." Kel sighed when Roald's face clouded over. "I mean, not only are you exceptionally busy but you don't deal in supply lists and daily uses of mathematics in those kinds of terms. You deal with the big stuff like food for the population and treasury spending. This is small stuff compared to that." Kel started to gather her things. "And I'm not teaching, I'm supplying examples and formulas and letting her figure it out on her own."
"I'm sorry, Kel," Roald stood to stop her. "I just feel like it appears I'm shirking my duty to her already. I certainly don't wish any of you to believe that."
"We don't. I've said this once before to Kel and now I'll say it to you. You are the only one who expects you to be perfect. It's daunting to the rest of us you know." Neal gathered up his own books. "And now I must retire to see my darling Yamani Blossom and Bud."
"I'm sure Karin loves being called Yamani Bud," Faleron added as he picked up his own paperwork. "And so you are aware, not that I plan on taking over her teaching in any way or that I believe you are shirking your duty, but I found Gwen in one of the libraries the other day and she happened to ask about good books for her learning level since she knew I liked to read."
"Of course she did," Roald waved to the rest of his friends making their way towards the door. Once one person left, everyone did. It was just how things worked. At least Roald had an answer now to how Gwen was working her education on her own. She was getting suggestions from his friends by casually questioning them on their favorite subjects. He wouldn't doubt if by the time Neal was done with her healing that she wouldn't have worked a few herb books, a healers guide, and at least one or two romance novels into her bookshelf.
Gwen was smart, crafty, and quiet about all of it. Roald couldn't have picked a better squire if he had had real intentions of actually picking a squire in the first place. That was something for him to smile about as he set aside his paper work for the night and took out a slate to start writing the mathematical formulas used by the Crown to calculate the cost of Court, War, and Festival Days. If Gwen wanted to learn the mathematics of royalty he would share it with her. He suspected she would be interested.