(Hey, I bet you guys thought I'd died or something, eh? Nope, just taking a
really long break, sorry! Anyway, I'm back now, so here goes.)
"Well, well, well. what have we here?" Chaucer's teasing voice woke Will from his deep slumber. The knight looked towards the foot of the bed and found Wat, Roland and Geoff lined up, eyeing him mischievously. As William's eyes adjusted to the bright light of the morning sun, his memory cleared and it became evident to him what the three were looking at. Apparently he was still clutching Kate very tightly and she was nestled into his arms in the same position from the previous night. Now Roland was gone from his half of the bed, the two looked quite cozy snuggling together.
"I wonder what Jocelyn would have to say if she saw you like this, Will?" Wat's tone took the same teasing sound as Chaucer's had. But Will didn't find it to be very humorous. In fact he found the situation very awkward and in him embarrassment he promptly let go of Kate to maintain some distance. The moment he released her she rolled off the bed as she had threatened to do the previous night and landed on the wooden floor with a thud.
"Ouch!" Kate's cry came from the floor. A moment later her head appeared over the side of the bed and her eyes shot furious glares around the room. "Oy, what a way to be woken! Who in blazes thought it would be funny to push me off the bloody bed?!?"
But Will was too worried about explaining himself to apologize to Kate at that moment. "It's- it's not what it looks like, really! You don't understand. You see Roland was taking up so much room, and. and he was pushing us off the bed. and Kate was about to fall off, so, so you see." He was talking quickly, trying to clear up the misunderstanding, and didn't realize that his friends were trying desperately to keep from laughing.
Geoff interrupted him, "Relax Will. We're only teasing. We know you and Kate are friends."
"So you won't tell Jocelyn, then?" He had a desperate look in his eyes.
"No, of course we won't tell Jocelyn, what's there to tell?" By now Wat had begun complaining about breakfast and the three turned to head down to the pub. Kate slowly got up from her position on the floor, with a quiet and reserved look on her face. She brushed herself off, and made to follow the others without even casting a look at William.
"Kate," Will called out to her as she reached the door. She turned to face him, but did not look him in the eye. She just couldn't. "I am sorry if I hurt you," he added.
She gave him as small smile. "Don't worry about me Will, I'll be fine." Then she was quietly gone. As she approached the stairs and followed the others down, she thought about Will's quick and adamant explanation, and how he was more concerned about his precious Jocelyn's finding out than about her. "Damn him!" she thought to herself. "What I felt last night was more powerful than anything I've felt in a long time, and to him it was nothing more than a hug! Then again, with Jocelyn warming his bed, I'm sure Will is a very satisfied man. What could I ever possibly offer him" Kate felt close to the verge of tears, and though she was sitting surrounded by her friends she suddenly felt very alone. Will's words had hurt her, and they only reinforced the knowledge that he would never be hers.
Back in the room upstairs, William lay in bed for several minutes thinking about the previous events. Why had he become so defensive to his friends? Of course they knew there was nothing romantic between he and Kate, so why did he feel like he had to convince them? And more importantly, why did he feel so guilty for what he had done? As far as anyone was concerned, Will was just being a good friend.
With a great sigh, Will rose himself from the bed and began dressing. He told himself he would just have to pay more attention to Jocelyn the next time he saw her, which would be in a couple of days. All the time they spent apart could not be good for their relationship, and he knew once he saw her at the tournament in Dieppe, where her father's castle was, he wouldn't be able to think about anyone else. Whenever he was in her presence she was all he could ever think about. Any attraction he had felt towards Kate must have been because he hadn't seen Jocelyn in weeks and he missed her so. That simply had to be the explanation.
"Well, well, well. what have we here?" Chaucer's teasing voice woke Will from his deep slumber. The knight looked towards the foot of the bed and found Wat, Roland and Geoff lined up, eyeing him mischievously. As William's eyes adjusted to the bright light of the morning sun, his memory cleared and it became evident to him what the three were looking at. Apparently he was still clutching Kate very tightly and she was nestled into his arms in the same position from the previous night. Now Roland was gone from his half of the bed, the two looked quite cozy snuggling together.
"I wonder what Jocelyn would have to say if she saw you like this, Will?" Wat's tone took the same teasing sound as Chaucer's had. But Will didn't find it to be very humorous. In fact he found the situation very awkward and in him embarrassment he promptly let go of Kate to maintain some distance. The moment he released her she rolled off the bed as she had threatened to do the previous night and landed on the wooden floor with a thud.
"Ouch!" Kate's cry came from the floor. A moment later her head appeared over the side of the bed and her eyes shot furious glares around the room. "Oy, what a way to be woken! Who in blazes thought it would be funny to push me off the bloody bed?!?"
But Will was too worried about explaining himself to apologize to Kate at that moment. "It's- it's not what it looks like, really! You don't understand. You see Roland was taking up so much room, and. and he was pushing us off the bed. and Kate was about to fall off, so, so you see." He was talking quickly, trying to clear up the misunderstanding, and didn't realize that his friends were trying desperately to keep from laughing.
Geoff interrupted him, "Relax Will. We're only teasing. We know you and Kate are friends."
"So you won't tell Jocelyn, then?" He had a desperate look in his eyes.
"No, of course we won't tell Jocelyn, what's there to tell?" By now Wat had begun complaining about breakfast and the three turned to head down to the pub. Kate slowly got up from her position on the floor, with a quiet and reserved look on her face. She brushed herself off, and made to follow the others without even casting a look at William.
"Kate," Will called out to her as she reached the door. She turned to face him, but did not look him in the eye. She just couldn't. "I am sorry if I hurt you," he added.
She gave him as small smile. "Don't worry about me Will, I'll be fine." Then she was quietly gone. As she approached the stairs and followed the others down, she thought about Will's quick and adamant explanation, and how he was more concerned about his precious Jocelyn's finding out than about her. "Damn him!" she thought to herself. "What I felt last night was more powerful than anything I've felt in a long time, and to him it was nothing more than a hug! Then again, with Jocelyn warming his bed, I'm sure Will is a very satisfied man. What could I ever possibly offer him" Kate felt close to the verge of tears, and though she was sitting surrounded by her friends she suddenly felt very alone. Will's words had hurt her, and they only reinforced the knowledge that he would never be hers.
Back in the room upstairs, William lay in bed for several minutes thinking about the previous events. Why had he become so defensive to his friends? Of course they knew there was nothing romantic between he and Kate, so why did he feel like he had to convince them? And more importantly, why did he feel so guilty for what he had done? As far as anyone was concerned, Will was just being a good friend.
With a great sigh, Will rose himself from the bed and began dressing. He told himself he would just have to pay more attention to Jocelyn the next time he saw her, which would be in a couple of days. All the time they spent apart could not be good for their relationship, and he knew once he saw her at the tournament in Dieppe, where her father's castle was, he wouldn't be able to think about anyone else. Whenever he was in her presence she was all he could ever think about. Any attraction he had felt towards Kate must have been because he hadn't seen Jocelyn in weeks and he missed her so. That simply had to be the explanation.