Roald was pacing his study when Gwen arrived the next morning dressed smartly in her uniform with her face free of paint and her hair bound back again. He looked her over and she rolled her eyes at him.
"We didn't discuss the meeting," she told him calmly. There was no point in stressing Roald out if she didn't have to. He didn't need to know that she had left Sir Nikolas' rooms because he kept trying for information.
"He's more worried that you were charmed into his bed and have literally slept with the enemy," Neal informed her as he came through the door yawning.
"I spent the night in my room, in my bed, alone, thank you very much." Gwen put her hands on her hips. "I barely stayed half an hour." She went to get her plate of food without waiting to see the response. "What's the agenda today?" Just like she tried to redirect the conversation with Sir Nikolas, she was redirecting the conversation some place more productive. And unlike Sir Nikolas, Roald and his friends took the hint and didn't press any further. Instead they turned to talking about the final areas of trade of which the main part of the day was set aside simply to discuss trade caravans and their ability to walk straight through Tortall to Tusaine from the sea.
If Gwen thought the matter was dropped for the day, Sir Nikolas was waiting in the conference room for her. He first greeted Roald, Sir Faleron, Sir Neal, and Lady Kel before he turned to her. She tried to brush past him to get to setting up but he caught her hand once again. "My Lady, just give me a moment of your time," he whispered.
"I do not have a moment to give, My Lord" she told him calmly, not bothering to whisper. She moved to her station. She felt a presence behind her and groaned internally. It was too early to deal with these sorts of things.
"Did he hurt you?" She heard the quiet whisper in her ear. It wasn't Sir Nikolas or even Roald but Sir Faleron standing just over her shoulder. She gave a slight shake of her head. "He insulted you." She heard it as a statement but decided to give him a response anyway.
"Not in the way you think," she kept her whisper to barely above a breath.
"Squire," Faleron's voice was louder so the whole room could hear it. "There's a traditional tea our guests drink, perhaps you have heard of it. It's a spiced black tea." She squared her shoulders knowing he was about to give her an order and she would likely appreciate it. "It might be a nice gesture if you were to serve it today."
"Yes, My Lord," she stopped fiddling with the cups and turned to bow to Faleron. By the time she was back with the proper tea and the milk to go with it, the meeting would be starting and any chance of Sir Nikolas talking to her would be done with until later when she would be able to think better. She waited for Roald to nod for her to go before she rushed out into the hall to go to the kitchens and beg for the correct tea service.
When she came back with the tea in several pots and several small pitchers of milk she was greeted with enthusiasm by the diplomats at her inclusion of the milk. And when she served Roald, Neal, Kel, and Faleron she poured milk into their tea as well though she saw all four of them give her a look. "It's the traditional way. Might as well do it right," she whispered to them. With the tea as an offering the trade talks sped along right to midday. They decided to break for midday for once and Roald summoned Gwen to his side before anyone else could get up from the table.
"Tell me about last night," he commanded when the room was completely cleared out of the diplomats. It was a royal command so she had to give him the information he wanted. So she told him, and his friends, what had happened while glossing over some of the flirtations. "He doesn't want to jeopardize the talks by making too big of a deal out of it, it seems. That's a good thing." Roald sighed. "I appreciate that you didn't say anything to him."
"Did you really think I would?" Gwen stared at Roald unable to believe that he might possibly have believed she would have betrayed his trust to some man that knew how to flirt. "Oh Mithros, don't answer that. I don't want to know. I'm just going to hope you had some sort of faith in me." She turned towards the door and stopped to look back. "I'm going to replenish the drink service."
When Gwen returned she found Roald waiting for her in the hallway outside of the conference room. His arms were crossed and he stared her down as she pushed the cart up the hall. "I don't think you'd tell my secrets. I know you wouldn't take arrows for me and then shoot me in the back later on." He told her firmly. "That doesn't mean I am unable to appreciate how you held your own. I'm allowed to be proud that you did exactly what I hoped you'd do." He sighed and looked her over. "Now, it looks like we are going to end early today. That tea eased things along nicely. I was thinking we could take the extra time and do some actual weapons' practice."
"I like that idea." She smiled at him liking the idea of getting to hit something to relieve some of the stress from the meetings.
"And here comes your friend," Roald gave her a smile. "Let him apologize so we can get beyond this."
"Lady Gwendolyn," Sir Nikolas called. When Gwen turned to look for Roald he was gone. "He can't be so much of a slave driver he won't give you a moment during midday break," Sir Nikolas drew level with her.
"His Highness Prince Roald of Conte is never a slave driver Sir Nikolas," Gwen crossed her arms over her chest. "And it's Squire Gwendolyn. I'm not a lady."
"I beg to differ, that little maneuver last night was very lady like," he grinned at her for a moment and then he sighed and looked down at the floor looking properly ashamed again. "Lady Gwendolyn, I mean, Lady Squire Gwendolyn, I let the pressures of these meetings get in the way of properly entertaining you last night. That was a failure on my behalf and I'd like to make it up to you. I've been speeding things along on our end with the hope we'll get out early, then I would like to take you to dinner." Gwen hid a smile. Roald had mentioned that he believed the tea was what had sped along the meetings when really it had been Sir Nikolas stopping the more pointless debates his people tended to have over every price listed, but Roald didn't need to know any of that.
"I won't be able to join you," she started.
"What can I do to make you understand I mean this in good faith?" He cut her off from explaining that she had plans already. "I promise, I swear, I will not once mention the meetings, your knight master, or your work for him," he held up a hand to swear it.
"That's very nice of you," she informed him. The idea was enticing as he had cut off asking about anything that would sound like he was only out to use her. "However," she continued, "his Highness has already claimed that free time for weapons' practice. So I won't be available for dinner." Gwen informed him.
"So I'm late in making my proposal," he sighed and then his face lit up again. "When do you have free time normally? In the morning before the meetings? Breakfast? No? In the late evenings like last night?"
"After the meetings are completely over, I might have time. Until then I believe it's best we do not spend time together. No need to allow stress to cause any undo tension," she turned to go into the meeting and he reached out to stop her.
"One moment, please," he touched her arm only briefly to get her attention again. "For you," he pressed a plain silver box into her hands and then went inside of the conference room. Gwen waited until he was gone and opened the box to find it was filled with the sugared cherries from the night before and a note with another written apology tucked inside. She carried it inside and set the box down on the beverage service counter and went about refilling cups. She made a mental note to have someone check it for listening spells or any other type of trickery. She wasn't so secure in his apologies and promises that she trusted him completely.
"So tell me what happened," Roald prodded when they started to spar in one of the private indoor practice courts. "Did you two kiss and make up?"
"There was no kissing," Gwen laughed. "I can't figure him out. Sometimes it feels like he's trying to use me and then he does something completely genuine. I mean out of the few interactions we have had."
"Despite what women think, men can be complicated too," Roald informed her. "For example, I want to throttle Sir Nikolas for even looking at you like he does, but I think you could give him a chance if it's what you want."
"Could or should?" Gwen pressed.
"Could, because I won't tell you what you should and shouldn't do in your relationship choices other than you should wear a pregnancy charm and you should be cautious if you don't feel right. I will tell you that you should open up your stance a bit more or I'm going to knock you over." She adjusted her stance and went in for the attack.
"So he tried to invite me out to dinner tonight as an apology for 'letting the pressures of the meetings make him fail to entertain me properly' or something like that." She shrugged. "He promised he would not bring up the meetings, you, or anything I do for you."
"What did you tell him?"
"That I had plans made prior to him asking and I that I would not have free time until the meetings are over."
"You could have told me, we could have rescheduled," Roald stopped swinging his staff and looked down at her.
"Weapons practice first," she informed him. "We haven't been doing any squire stuff for like three weeks. It's nice to be a normal squire every now and then."
"Most squires would like a three week break from normal duties," Roald informed her as he switched to attack.
"Most squires don't have to remind their knight masters to teach them that splendid staff trick they just did," she side stepped the attack and moved her staff to the ready and waited for Roald to repeat the move. They worked well up to dinner switching between staves, swords, and archery. On their way out Roald slung an arm around Gwen's shoulders to steer her down the hall.
"Stow your weapons, bathe, back to my study," he told her. "The others are coming to talk about what's going to happen tomorrow. I want you there to hear the plans and I want your input."