Discalimer: Ya'll know what the deal is....enjoy...

Note: ROMANCE IS IN IT! PRAISE THE LORD! AND IF YOU'RE ATHEIST...PRAISE CHOCOLATE! CAUSE IT'S YUMMY! WHOO HOO! HAPPY DANCE! And now I (A.) am done.

Note #2: K. is writing her own story. It'll still be under this pen name. But it'll be only ONE author...not two. Because she's writing it herself.

---------Chapter Eight---------

-----Marietta's POV-----

We rode hard all that day and didn't come across anything out of the ordinary. When we stopped that night we were both tired and sat in silence by the fire for a while.
"So... are you going to tell me what was bothering you earlier today or am I just going to be left wondering?" Tristan asked.

I looked over at him. His hair fell carelessly across his face, his eyes stared intently into mine. Tristan usually kept his emotions hidden, so that no one could tell what he was feeling. Except for when he was with me. We understood each other and could read each other's moods easily.

"It's just that, Lancelot and Kami, they, well, obviously are very fond of each other, I'm convinced that they're in love, but neither of them seem to be able to, word it, let the other know...that kind of thing. And as an outsider, who sees what's going on, it's frustrating because I can't really do anything." I burst out.
"You're rambling" Tristan said with that mysterious grin of his.
"Oh shut it." I said laughing. "Well do you have any advice?"
"No" Tristan replied, thoughtfully. "There's nothing anyone can do. They have to figure it out for themselves."
"I guess your right" I said, still annoyed because I couldn't fix this problem. I'm a bit of a perfectionist.
"Of course I'm right" he said, his grin back in place "Now get some sleep, we need to get an early start tomorrow." With that we both rolled over and fell asleep.

Dream/Flashback sequence begins

I was 20 and out in the woods practicing with my sword. I whirled around into a different position only to have my sword clash with another. I was very surprised but recovered quickly."Do you need some help practicing?" Tristan asked.Flashing him a suggestive smile I replied "Well, which sword are you talking about using?"He was, needless to say, a bit taken back but quickly recovered and said "Depends on which one you want me to use."
"I was talking about whether you were going to use your broadsword or your long knife." I said, laughing. He just grinned."Just making sure" and then he came at me.

We practiced hard for about an hour. I had always admired him for his fighting skills and his ability to mask his emotions. Throughout the hour he had several times un-necessarily made what can only be described as, well, "extra" contact. Every time we made said contact, my spine tingled because of our closeness. But I've always made sure he's never known how he makes me feel, and I wasn't about to start.
I parried and struck, but he was obviously the better fighter. He finally knocked the sword out of my hand. I raised my hands in defeat but he was backing me into a tree.

"Tristan" I started "What are you-". He had by now dropped his sword, closed the small distance between us and pinned me against the tree.

"I should've done this a while ago" he murmured hoarsely, almost in a whisper.

Before I could comprehend what was going on he placed his mouth onto mine in a passionate kiss. My eyes widened in shock but I soon relaxed and, needless to say, enjoyed the kiss. He had begun to deepen the kiss and I returned it. After a few moments, he began nibbling my lower lip. I moaned and then began to giggle. He smirked and we continued our snog session. Suddenly

Dream/Flashback sequence ends

"AAAHHH!" I woke with a start and jumped a few feet off the ground. I looked over to see Tristan rolling on the ground laughing.

"I've said it many times and I'll say it again. SHUT IT! You scared me half to death!" I exclaimed, slightly mad that he had waken me from my dream. But it is hard to stay mad at him for long.
"Well we have to get going. The sun's been up for a few hours already." He said, trying to regain his breath from his fit of laughter.
"A FEW HOURS!" I yelled. "WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP SOONER?! ARTHUR NEEDS US BACK THERE WITH OUR INFORMATION!" I started packing very hap-hazardly.
"Mar," I heard Tristan say gently "Go eat something. I'll pack up your stuff. Don't worry we'll start off again in 10 minutes at the max."
"Ok" I said, slightly put out, and I went off to eat some bread and cheese and drink some ale.

-----Tristan's POV-----

I know I should've woken her up sooner so we could've started off again. But I've always enjoyed my time alone with her and if I can prolong it, I will. I also hadn't woken her up because she looked so beautiful. She was having a good dream, I could tell. She was smiling and I couldn't help but wonder if it was me she was dreaming of. I had always been attracted to the way she was ruthless in battle and yet cared more for her friends then for herself.
She, like me, traveled very lightly and in almost no time at all, everything was ready to go. I glanced over to where she was sitting and I stopped what I was doing and stared at her. The sun hit her just so, making her look more beautiful than she already was. I shook my head, clearing my senses, and walked over, with an air of indifference, and sat down beside her.
"You've already eaten, right?" she asked, taking another bite out of the loaf of bread.
"Yeah" I replied "I ate while you were being lazy and sleeping"
"Oh no you don't!" she said quickly swallowing the bread and waving the remainder of the loaf in my face. "You should've woken me up and you didn't so it's your own damn fault!" She smiled triumphantly and took a swig from the flask.
I looked at her and chuckled. "Well, we'd better get a move on or Arthur and the others will catch up with us" And we were off again.

-----Marietta's POV-----

We started the day riding just as hard as we had the day before. By midday it was sleeting, go figure. The sleet continued for a few more days and we had a run in or two with a few Woads. Other than that, it was quite uneventful. We continued to ride until we came upon a lake. A large, frozen lake.

"Oh joy" I said sarcastically "Just what we need."
Tristan chuckled softly and dismounted. "We need to see how sturdy the ice is. Come on." And he started towards the lake's edge.
"Fine, fine" I sighed, also dismounting and jogging to catch up with him. "I don't see why though. We alone won't be able to tell how sturdy it is."
Tristan stopped a few feet from where I was standing, already on the lake. "That's true," he said slowly, thoughtfully "But it's not going to hurt to try and see how strong it is."
After a few minutes of walking around and seeing if it held at least our weight, we decided we had done all we could do and remounted.

"We'll start back now." He said. I silently nodded and we rode off, again.

We finally reached a clearing and decided to rest there since we had ridden without sleep the day before. Tristan went to get some wood and I unloaded the horses. We spent the night talking and reminiscing about the past. I was cold, despite the fact that I had my cloak wrapped tightly around me. Tristan noticed me shiver; him and his stupid scout sense.
"Are you cold?" he asked. I gave him a death glare. "Sorry," he muttered, "Stupid question. Of course you're cold." Stupid scout cocky attitude. He got up and put his cloak around me.

"But now you'll be cold!" I protested. I HATED other people trying to take care of me when I don't need it. "Well then we'll just share it," he said, smiling suggestively.

-----Tristan's POV-----

I have no idea why I said it. But I did. I was expecting ...well, not the reaction I got.

She smiled "Ok."

I draped it around her shoulder as well as my own and put my arm around her. She leaned her head on my shoulder. I wanted to kiss her so badly right then.

"Do you remember that time, when I was 20, and was practicing, and then you came?" she asked. "Remember?" Oh gods, how could I forget? It was probably the best thing I've ever done. "Of course I remember." I said.

"Why did you do it?" she asked.

Dammit. "Because, well, Because I-Damn this is hard."
"What's so hard?" she asked. She knew. I know she knew. She knew I know she knew. Dammit again.
"Damn woman" I said gruffly and took her face in my hands and kissed her with the same passion I did that day. I kissed her for what seemed like an eternity. She didn't pull back; she didn't slap me nor do anything of the sort. She kissed me back. I finally pulled away to catch my breath

"Because I love you." I said. And I kissed her again. We fell asleep in each other's arms