Author's Note: Rowena has become rather like an old friend in the writing of this. I'll missher when I finish all the Founders stories. To Tania: Helga is kind of pitiable, isn't she?

Augusta

The Game of Love as it was played in those days was perhaps bested only by the Game of Houses for difficulty and deception. It was just as well for Rowena that Alienor of Gwynned had been an expert player willing to pass along her expertise. She wasn't going to play by the rules, though. She wanted the man to love her, not lust after her, and the traditional playing of the game would only lead to the latter.

The first step was to gain his friendship. She already had that from the meetings, which had been resumed immediatly, but she began getting him alone sometimes, carefully. He took the bait willingly. After that followed the actual courtship. Finally, at when summer was dwindling, she entered the final phrase of her strategy, withdrawing. She might share one dance with him and not speak to him at all the rest of the evening. She would smile at him during dinner, then frown and turn her head. Her eyes would catch his for a moment, then drop modestly. Finally, on the last day before Helga would be going back to Lanast-permission to stay for herself had been obtained long since-Godric came upon her quite suddenly in the garden. "Rowena." That was it. All the man did was speak her name, and she was rooted to the spot, and nearly groaned aloud at the realization that hit her. In her long attempt to make him love her, she had fallen in love with him. Trapped in her own web.

" Yes?"

" You've been avoiding me, Rowena. Why"

She hestitated, wondering what to tell him. She settled on the truth. " I didn't know why,at first. I do now. I've always cared for you, Godric, ever since we first met. I was afraid of caring too much."

" Caring to much?"

Tears that were unfeigned came into her eyes. " You're going to marry Helga, and I'll probably marry Salazar. We're all but engaged to each other's best friends. I was afraid I might come to love you and ruin both our lives." She was not going to cry.

He sank down on a park bench, pulling her down beside him by her hands. " Did you, Rowena?" There was something in his eyes-something between fear and eagerness, mixed with anticipation. "Did you come to love me?"

She tried to jerk loose. This had been a stupid idea; she had no idea why she had gone along with it. Even if he did love her, he'd still marry Helga and she Salazar because of duty. Duty was more important than anything to Godric. His hands on her wrists were gentle but firm as a shackle. " Tell me, Rowena. D'you love me?"

" It is impossible," she said, trying another futile attempt to free her hands. " We both know our duties, Godric. It doesn't matter what we want, it's all about what Lady Gwyneth and Lord Francis want. It can never be, no matter how much we love each other. Oh, God, I never should have come here in the first place. I'm going back to Glen. You'll never have to see me again. Just promise me that when you and Helga are old and rich with grandchildren that you'll think kindly of the country nobody who loved you." She stood despite his grip on her hands and he stood with her.

" By God, I'll be married to that country nobody or I'll die a bachelor! My father married a pagan for love, so he hasn't got much room to talk about me marrying you for the same reason. I love you." He said all of it very quickly. While she was still trying to recover from the shock, his arms went around her and, without any warning, he kissed her, softly at first and then more passionatly. She thought she was going to faint. No one had ever kissed her before; it simply was not done. Vaugely, she knew she was kissing him back. It was a sharp, sudden gasp that brought them back to reality. Rowena wanted to die on the spot.

Standing there looking at them, her blue eyes round with surprise and shining with hurt, was Helga.

" Helga," Rowena began, but Godric cut her off.

" Entirely my fault," he said almost brusquely. " It was none of Rowena's doing. None. I got carried away-"

" You-you don't have to apologize to me," Helga said unsteadily. " You're a man. You can do as you like. We all knew the reason Salazar was intent on marrying her was so she could be your whore- Mama said that a whore to a lord was the best that a poor girl would ever be able to do, no matter what her titles-" her eyes widened even further when she remembered that Rowena was standing right there. " Oh, Rowena-I'm so sorry-darling, I know what happened wasn't your fault-"

Rowena stared at her. " I was going to apologize," she said flatly. " I didn't even do anything-he kissed me out of a clear blue sky-and I was going to apologize anyway. And you tell me you think I'm a whore for the taking, Helga. You, my best friend, and Gwyneth, think I'm nothing but a whore just because I don't live in a damned castle of my own."

" Rowena-"

" Is that why it took so long to remember I was there? Because your royal highness the Lady Helga is too good to notice the girl the Lady Gwyneth means to make into one man's public wife and his best friend's bedwarmer? My title's as good as yours, Helga Hufflepuff, if not better! My first cousin is the High Queen, or have you forgotten?"

Helga looked, for the first time that Rowena had known her, angry. " The law might say you're Guinevere's cousin, but I know better. No one here doesn't know that your real mother's that servant you spend so much time with, old Enna, she was your father's Saxon bedwarmer and she got with child and when Princess Alienor's daughter was stillborn and the Saxon's baby was born the same day, they told her that baby was hers-that you were hers. Did she ever learn that you weren't, or did the Princess die thinking you were her daughter?"

" Don't you talk about my mother, you slut! I could say a pretty word or two about yours!" Something inside her snapped, and she slapped Helga as hard as she could, nearly knocking her down. With a screech like a cat, Helga tried to throw herself at her. It was a miserably pitiful attempt. Godric caught her and held her easily. Getting his wand out, he muttered something and pushed Helga backwards. A look of dreamy unconcern fell over her face, and she smiled brightly at them.

" Good morning,you two," she said amiably, then looked concerned. " Rowena, what's wrong? You look like you've been crying and upset."

" This garden" she invented. " It reminds me of my mother's. I was crying here, and Godric found me."

" Are you all right now?"

" Yes." How could I be all right when you called me and my mother whores and now act like it never happened?

" Do you want to talk about it?"

She managed to force a smile. Had Helga finally lost her wits?" Thank you, but I'd just like to be left alone now."

" All right. Godric, will you stay nearby in case she gets upset again?" He nodded, and Helga patted her shoulder and kept on.

" What did you do to her?" Rowena muttered.

" Modified her memory," he muttered back. " She doesn't remember seeing us kiss or the argument." He looked at her strangely. " She hurt you pretty badly, didn't she?"

Rowena laughed bitterly. " It's not easy, hearing that your benefactor and your best friend think you'll never be more than a madam, Godric."

He tipped her chin up. " I would not use you so" he said seriously. " Never. I would see you dead before I would see you dishonored so." He picked up her left hand and touched where a wedding ring would go. " This won't be as easy as I'd hoped" he said tieredly. " We can't depend on not having more people see than's memories can be modified."

" So you agree with me that it's impossible?"

" Nothing, Rowena, is impossible. As for this, I'll move heaven and earth to make sure it isn't. Will you meet me tonight?"

" Where?"

He thought for a moment. " The library. I'll try to have a plan by then." He kissed her lightly. " Until then, my love."

" Until then" she whispered, as happy as she had ever been in her life. It was impossible, but hadn't it been impossible for her to find her real mother until the day after she arrived at Tintagel?