A/N: Thank you all for your suggestions and comments. Keep them coming! And yes, I do ship fabrevans. Sam is my second choice for Quinn. He's also my favorite male character, so there will be a lot of Sam coming up. And for those who guessed what was going to happen next... Good job! :) Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
The rest of the day flew by for the blacksmith. After her talk with Rachel, her mood seemed to heighten and she was finding herself looking forward to her evening ride with Sam. The sound of hammer against steel rang in her ears as she finished the sword she decided was going to be for Leroy. Looking up into the sky she saw the sun was beginning to sink behind the mountains and she and the boys agreed to close down for the night. Puck said he would take care of it tonight, since she and Sam had plans to go riding. With a quick thank you, she ran off to her quarters and washed up.
As soon as she was clean she opted for a slimming pair of pants and curve hugging blue shirt. With much debating she decided to keep her blonde locks down, she then grabbed her boots and her cloak and went out the door to meet Sam by the stables.
When she arrived she already saw him standing there fresh, anxious, and more handsome than she ever imagined. His pristine white shirt accompanied by a crimson red tunic, a pair of dark brown pants and his cloak covering his left side and holding both of their horses' reins. His smile grew when he saw the blonde. Walking up to her he looked her in the eye and said sincerely, "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes upon."
Smiling she said, "You look handsome as well."
Shrugging his shoulders he motioned to her horse. "So shall we?" She nodded yes and he assisted her up upon her horse.
They rode for miles and when they entered the mouth of the mountain, Sam called to her, "It's not much further, its right up a head."
Sam had been right; the view of the kingdom was absolutely stunning. The view was right by a waterfall and the view was clear from trees and cliffs. She could see the castle in all its glory. The lights from the main hall where Finn was most likely asking Rachel the question and the small fire from the courtyard, probably Santana and Brittany. She could see the market and her old house with smoke coming from the chimney; Will cooking his dinner and playing his guitar, just as he always did. The stars spoke for themselves as the lit up the night sky, not a cloud in sight.
Turning to Sam she smiled and said, "Thank you for showing me this. It's absolutely breathtaking."
Staring into her eyes he returned the smile. "Yeah, breathtaking."
Sam walked over to where their horses were hitched to a tree and unloaded one of the packs on his horse. "I hope you're hungry because I brought some meat to cook and some water," he showed her the contents wrapped in a cloth.
Nodding she sat down on one of the blankets he had brought as well. They then began to build a fire and cook the meat. After eating, they huddled together and Sam said, "How come you're a blacksmith?"
"Well, when I was younger I had my family ripped away from me and a blacksmith found me wondering the streets looking for food. He took me in as his own and taught me how to forge steel and how to fence. He was a father to me in all aspects of the word. I never had any girlfriends, all my friends have been boys, so that's a part of the reason why I dress the way I do, also I hate wearing dresses. They constrict movement, and a girl never knows when she will need to run away or fight for her life."
Sam smiled and gave a small nod. "You're the most interesting girl I've ever met, did you know that?" Laughing softly she stared into his kind eyes. This was a man she could easily love, if her heart didn't already belong to Rachel. She was caught off guard when his voice dropped. "And I would very much like to kiss you right now."
Leaning forward he brushed their lips together and he brought his hand up behind her neck. Taken a back she sighed into the kiss and returned it. His lips, although a little chapped, were soft. His touch was kind and caring, and she loved everything about him. Realization hit her and she jerked away. Confused he shook his head in bewilderment. "What's wrong? Did I hurt you? Was I moving too fast?" He rambled.
Shaking her head, tears welled in her eyes from the amount of guilt she felt. Sam didn't deserve this, and she didn't want to do this to Rachel, even though Rachel was doing the same thing to her. Releasing a breath she said, "Sam, I have to confess something to you, and I hope you won't hate me for it." He nodded for her to continue. "I can't do this. My heart belongs to someone else."
"Who?"
"Rachel." She hung her head in shame and waited for him to yell at her and curse her. But it never came. Instead he wrapped a strong hand around her shoulders and held her as she cried.
"It's alright, Quinn. You don't have to feel ashamed or anything. It's alright. I understand. She's great and I get why you're in love with her."
"Sam I could love you, but my heart already belongs to her so much that it kills me."
Rubbing her arm he nodded. "I understand, Quinn. It's alright. Listen, you've had my heart the moment I first met you; you're everything I could hope to find in a woman. So you'll always have me, okay? So I won't be who I wanted to be for you, but I'll still be your friend. And I'll always have your back, alright?"
She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck. He sighed in the embrace and held her in his arms until she calmed down enough to ride back to the castle and go to sleep.
The sun shone through her window the following morning and she groaned when she noticed she had a headache from all her crying last night. Sitting up she grabbed her cup of water and drank the rest of the cup. She then got dressed for the day in her usual attire, and grabbed her sword as well. Walking out of her room she headed down to the kitchens for some morning breakfast where she ran into Sam. Quirking a smile, Sam handed her a piece of toast with jam and said, "Seriously, don't worry about last night. We're good, and I'm not going to tell anyone, that's not the kind of guy I am."
She smiled and gave him a hug. Comfort was what she longed for and even though he knew she didn't feel the same way about him as he felt for her, he hugged her just the same and gave her that comfort. Pulling away, he whispered in her ear, "Good luck with the prince this morning. The guy is seriously an idiot when it comes to swords." After another charming smile he walked out of the kitchens and went about his own business. Thankfully it was Sunday so they weren't required to work.
After eating some breakfast, Quinn made her way down to the pitch where young knights were trained with the sword. Shaking her head she saw Prince Finn leaning against a wooden post with a sword of his own. She doubted that it was the right fit for him, but she could care less. It was just another opportunity for him to get killed in battle, right? The clouds that moved in overnight and the light fog helped clear out her headache, but she knew she was going to have another one the minute she started teaching Finn.
Approaching him she bowed slightly and said as chipper as she can, "Good morning, My Lord."
He offered a dopey smile and she forced herself to return the smile. "Good morning."
"Are you ready to learn the ways of the sword?"
"Yes I am."
Nodding she started. "Alright. First, you might want to take off your heavy cloak. You will warm up and the material will weigh you down. A swordsman has to be swift if they want to succeed in battle, and a heavy cloak will prevent that." He nodded and took off his red cloak. She walked up to him and motioned to his sword. "May I see it?" Unsheathing it he passed it over to her.
His sword was a fancy thing. The handle itself was gold and twisted and turned all different ways. Overall, his sword was nothing compared to her own, but she nodded and faked awe at it. Giving him a fake smile of approval she handed it back to him and motioned for them to enter the pitch. Unsheathing her own she began, "Your sword has to be an extension of your arm. When in battle or simply dueling it's not something you can take for granted. Your feet have to be in the right spots as does your arm; otherwise you will lose. Hold your sword as if you're shaking hands with someone, that's how you line it up when you grab it. Don't worry, you'll get it."
He did as she told him. The lesson then carried on as she had planned. She taught him foot positions, how to swing the sword correctly, and how to block attacks. The sun was telling them that it was close to noon so she turned to a sweaty Finn and quirked up an eyebrow. "How about a little duel now that you know how to use a sword?" His eyes gleamed at the challenge and he placed the canteen of water down.
"Don't you dare go easy on me, Fabray."
"Wouldn't dream of it, My Lord."
They got into position and she waited for him to make the first attack, which he did. He lunged for her chest and she was quick to move and block the attack with her blade. The sound of their boots sliding and moving against the dirt along with the sounds of clanking steel was enough to bring attention to the two. The servants could see this was a duel worth watching. Finn continued to launch himself at the girl who was dodging, countering, and blocking while he tired himself out. She then moved her sword this way and that, and Finn struggled to keep up with the blocking.
She had him on the run and he was backing up quickly as she kept advancing. She got the tip of her sword into his handle, twirled the blade in a circular motion and tossed his sword into the air and away from him. She pointed her blade at the boy's face and smiled. "I win."
He nodded furiously, only wanted her to get that blade out of his face. "How was I?"
Sheathing her sword she bent down she picked up his sword and handed it to him. "You never want to tire yourself out like that in the beginning. You have to strategize your moves and plan out your attack a head of time. Otherwise what just happened will happen again. Keep practicing and you'll get better." She smiled as he offered his hand in thanks.
"I really appreciate your help today."
"It was no problem, Your Majesty." He only nodded, grabbed his things and headed back to the castle.
By now the crowd that was there for the duel had disbanded and she was left alone in the pitch. She was dying for a nap, but before she could leave the pitch, she saw Finn leaning down as he kissed Rachel. Sighing she turned around and was met with a certain blonde hair boy. She knew he saw what she was looking at and she looked away from his kind eyes. "Don't worry; I heard she didn't say "yes" last night when he asked her to marry him. In fact she said, "I have things to think about and I have to know that my heart is yours", or something like that. I only know what I heard from Puck." She smiled at the boy.
"I told her I am going to fight for her and she agreed to give me that chance to prove that we're meant to be. Her turning him down was a piece of the agreement." She looked at Sam who smiled at her.
"Maybe she should have to fight for you too?"
She scoffed and shook her head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"A relationship is about growing together and being able to give and take, so she should have to fight for you as well, don't you think?"
"Are you suggesting what I think you are?"
Sam shrugged. "Only if you're up for it, Quinn."
Biting her lip she contemplated her options. Sam had a point, all this time it had been her that was going after Rachel. So, it's only fair that Rachel has to fight for her too, if what she told her was true. Smiling she nodded her head. "Alright. Let's do it. I do hope this works."
"It will. And you'll also know if she loves you like you love her. It'll work." With that he leaned in and placed a soft kiss to her lips, which she returned.
Pulling away, Quinn whispered, "Thank you, Sam."
He smiled, asked for her hand, and escorted her back to her quarters where she can wash up and take her nap. What she didn't see, that Sam did, was the jealous look Rachel had when she saw the two blondes kiss.
A/N: Thoughts? Suggestions? Let me know! Review or shoot me a PM! :) Thanks for reading!
