The small group of friends packed everything up and went on their way. London was a week's journey and they had to leave now if they wanted to make it there in time for the next tournament.
Will was on a roll, something that everyone was pleased about except of course the other knights. But things were not well with everyone. There were two people in the group who seem constantly distracted.
The collection of individuals walked down the road…
No that's not true…
Two trudged.
Two trudged down the dirt road.
Both walked as far apart from each other as they could and kept their eyes focused on the ground.
They were scared, frightened of their own emotions. Every time that the writer and the blacksmith came together, they were completely at peace, laughing and joking and… well, this is the scary part, staring at each other.
Drinking in, every single morsel of the other that they could, because they knew that soon they would catch themselves and fall silent. It was not because they did not like each other, quite the opposite in fact, but, as I have said, they were scared.
Kate was frightened, she knew the signs of falling in love, she had done it before with her husband and they had lived happily together… For a few years, but she would never forgive that Knight.
It had seemed like a normal day when the Knight's Squire had come asking for the Blacksmith to shoe his Liege's horse, of course, her husband had obliged, Farrier work paid well and Richard was not one to turn down money.
The horse had been in a foul mood. You don't know how hard a horse can kick whenever it's in a foul mood unless you live around them, (A/N: Which I do,) and it's very, very, very hard.
The horse had gone mad and a kick to head had swiftly ended Richard's life. Whenever Kate thought of it her stomach turned over and tears began to creep around her eyes. But she pushed it to the back of her mind. Crying would never help anything or anyone, so she didn't.
And so, Kate was afraid, she was afraid that if she fell in love again that her love would be mercilessly taken from her. It was stupid but it was not the only fear that plagued her troubled mind. What if by falling in love, she dishonoured Richard's memory? She could not live, not breathe another breath if she found that she had in some way betrayed him.
Geoff… he was scared too.
He was scared in case his feelings were not returned. He was frightened that if he told Kate and told her the complete truth he would be laying himself before her. A part of him that was never openly shown, except in his writing. And writing was different… completely.
And so the two trudged down the path, on either side of Will and the horse, which he rode.
The pair's behaviour did not go unnoticed by the remainder of the group.
Roland looked from one to other and then up at Will. Will looked back at Roland and nodded, brow furrowed, confirming to his Squire that he had noticed it too.
The countryside they walked through was silent but for the singing of the birds and the soft sound of a distant stream they had passed a while ago.
"So," Will attempted, "Kate, how are things going for you?"
Kate looked up in surprise, she had been deep in thought and startled by Will's voice. She looked up and her lips moved for a while without any sound coming out as she desperately thought of a reasonable reply…
"Its, ah… it-it's fine, thank you… Why do you ask?" she queried.
Will looked down at her and scrunched up his face and then looked to the sky. Then without answering he turned to Geoff.
"Geoff?" asked Will.
The same happened to Geoff, he almost jumped off the road at the sound of his name and looked dazedly up to Will atop the horse.
He raised his eyebrows in a questioning gesture and shook his head.
"What?" he asked.
Will frowned and looked back to Kate who was looking confused and staring at her feet again.
Will sighed and pulled Monty the horse to a stop.
"All right, what is going on," he asked.
Because of Will's sudden stop, Kate and Geoff suddenly found themselves face to face as they had walked on a few paces.
The pair gazed at each other a moment a silent understanding in their eyes.
"Nothing," they replied in unison, shrugging at exactly the same time.
Will looked at them, if he raised his eyebrows any higher they would have disappeared into his mop of blonde hair. He made a disbelieving snort.
"Okay then," he said, shrugging himself. He leaned forward and gazed with narrowed eyes at the ground for a moment.
Geoff and Kate watched him completely thrown off track.
After a few seconds he say back again with a 'hmph' and then shrugged again.
"Then what's so interesting about the ground, because you two have been glaring daggers at it all day…" he said, grabbing an apple out of one of the saddle bags and taking a huge, crunching bite.
When neither answered him, he turned his head and made a 'tch, tch, tch,' sound and then kicked Monty on again, passing them by and munching loudly and unconcernedly on his apple.
As the rest of the group walked on, the pair looked up at each other from the famous ground they had been staring at again. Their gazes locked.
"Hey, are you two coming or are you going to continue testing your telepathic mind powers on each other!" Will shouted.
Later that night, the group of friends sat around a large wooden table at an inn along the road.
They were starting another round of drinks as the clock chimed 12 on the wall beside them. Somehow, Wat, Roland and Will had managed to position themselves in such a way that Kate and Geoff ended up sitting together.
There had been a short conversation on the road… two separate ones actually.
One had been between Will, Wat and Roland:
"I think we all know what's going on between Geoff and Kate," will said, jumping down from Monty and walking beside the other two.
Wat looked confused and shook his head shrugging, hands out in an empty 'I don't know,' gesture.
"They are in love…" Will stated matter of factly. The pair had to quickly had to grab Wat's arms before he charged back to where Geoff walked and fonged him into oblivion.
"I'LL FONG HIM 'TILL HELL FREEZES OVER! I'LL KILL –"
"Quiet Wat," Will shushed as they dragged him forward.
"I think they need a little help getting somewhere. Neither wants to admit it so… it could take some meddling," Will explained, a wry smirk gracing his features.
"I don't know Will. Are you sure, and even if you're right, you can't go around messing with people's lives…"
And so the argument continued on until as always Roland gave in and it was agreed that they would try to push the pair together, deciding that it was about time something interesting happened.
The second conversation was less of a conversation, more so a quick consultation and then action.
Kate and Geoff were walking close to each other, the others were walking ahead, and although they were silent they were not uncomfortable.
Earlier they had been apart so that they were able to think things over, not because they were avoiding each other they were after all, still 'friends'.
They were walking at a comfortable and friendly distance form each other until Kate made a decision.
She took two quick side steps and got very close to Geoff's side. He said nothing as she began to whisper quietly to him.
"Okay enough's enough. I tired of pissing around…" she said and grabbed his hand in a grip that would crush a rock.
"Oh, okay then… I'm so glad…" for the first time in his life Geoff was at a loss for words.
"I've seen it in your eyes. And I can read my own feelings, whatever your fears are, I'm sure they are as stupid as mine…" she nodded and threw her arms around him. They had hugged many times before but this was different. Geoff understood her enigmatic words and knew that this was not a hug between friends. He stood dumbfounded.
Kate smiled at him and patted him reassuringly on the arm and bounded off to catch up with the others.
And now they sat beside each other.
There was a hubbub all around the inn and the others were talking about something. Kate joined in and as she talked Geoff felt something on his leg.
He froze, completely taken aback and then he realised what it was.
Slowly Kate rubbed her hand up and down Geoff's thigh, teasingly. She talked on like nothing was different. When she had finished and what she had said started a debate between the others Geoff looked at her.
She said nothing and just smiled back at him in a cheeky way, resting her head on her arm that was propped on the table. Her hand started to move higher and closer to the inside of his leg as she looked at him.
"So Geoff," she said innocently, "what do you think?" she asked, knowing he didn't have the slightest baldy what the conversation had been about, he had been concentrating on his leg…
She's evil…He thought…
And I think I like it…