Chapter 20: Falling in Love

~o0o~

"You sly dog," Jaime smirked as he walked into the shared bathroom that separated his and Jorah's bedrooms in the house the next morning. Jorah was standing at the right double-sink in his dress pants and undershirt, shaving, and a smile tugged at his lips.

"It was just a kiss..."

"It's more than a kiss. It's the beginning of you and the Princess," Jaime set down his towel and ran his razor under the tap, "and I couldn't be happier."

Jorah's inkling of a smile turned into a frown. "Don't congratulate me as if I just proposed. It was a kiss and it isn't going to go any further. I can't let it."

Jamie started to lather his face with shaving cream. "When are you going to stop feeling sorry for yourself and realize you are worthy of being happy? I know Lynesse fucked a lot of things up, but..."

"I am happy, Jaime. Last night was the happiest I have been in so long," Jorah cut off his friend, not wanting to think about anything having to do with her, "But I have to be reasonable..."

"You can be reasonable in three weeks when this tour is said and done, and even then, I will fight you on it," Jaime's tone turned serious as he brought his razor to his cheek and Jorah didn't press him on it. Jorah patted his now clean-shaven face dry and left the bathroom to put on his outfit for the day. The morning activities were of the casual variety, so he went with khaki slacks in a lighter fabric, a white button-down and a navy sport-coat. He was well-versed on the cultures and customs of each place they were visiting on the tour and it wasn't wise to overly flaunt the Crown's wealth by dressing too stiffly in many of them, except for during balls and dinners.

He turned to the mirror to fix his collar and was surprised at the face looking back at him. He looked as happy as he felt and knew it had everything to do with Daenerys. He had slept better than he had in weeks after their kiss and woke up thinking it had all been a dream. He would have been contented if it was, but it was real. Despite his penchant for thinking up every worst-case-scenario regarding a relationship with her, warmth still blossomed in his heart and he let himself think about the good 'what-ifs' for a few quiet moments before he went to get his morning coffee.

~o0o~

"You are up early, Princess. Did you not sleep well?" Gilly asked after coming into Daenerys' bedroom. She was sitting at the window seat with the curtains open, watching the sunrise. Regardless of travel schedules, Gilly, Jorah, and Grey were always up at the crack of dawn to prep for the day, but the Princess liked her sleep.

"Actually, I slept really well," Daenerys turned to Gilly with a smile.

"Good. I just came in to bring you some towels, but I'll get breakfast started for you too." Gilly set the fluffy, warm towels on the wood bench outside of the bathroom. "You seem really happy and that makes me happy."

Daenerys laughed a little at the sweetness of Gilly. She was the purest they came and the Princess could tell that it was more than just her own happiness putting a smile on the brunette's face, "Is there any other reason why you are so happy this morning?"

"My boyfriend, Sam, is coming to visit after we get back from the tour!" Gilly's eyes went wide with glee as she confided in Daenerys, "It's been so long since I've seen him."

"He's more than welcome to stay at Kensington – you let him know that, won't you? I'm looking forward to meeting him."

"Thank you, your Grace. I'll go and get your breakfast..." Gilly blushed and nodded, heading for the door.

"Oh, and Gilly – I know it's early, but could you send Captain Mormont in?"

"Right away, Princess." Gilly promised and closed the door behind her.

Daenerys sighed contentedly as she looked out at the large, empty field surrounding their temporary lodgings. Today they would pack up and move on to Johannesburg and keep repeating the process nearly every day. She had been warned that it would be a grueling and difficult schedule to keep, but after yesterday, no task seemed impossible.

She had been so nervous for her first official royal duties without her father or either brother present. Usually she was in the background, a supporting character – not talking beyond polite conversation and cordial hellos and goodbyes. But now, all eyes were on her. She was shaking the hands of dignitaries and having tough conversations about economics and poverty and education. And Jorah had deftly guided her through it all. She couldn't have done it without him and after their kiss, which left her restless all night in the best way, she didn't want to do any of this without him. Her crush on him was so much deeper than she realized. When their lips met, it was more intense than it every had been with Drogo and a million times more exciting than her kisses with Daario or Rob. It wasn't a convenient truth to admit, but she didn't plan on being convenient anymore – to anyone. She liked this independence. It wasn't the independence of her university days with Missy. It was better.

~o0o~

"Captain Mormont?"

Jorah looked up from watching the sun rise over the flat landscape from the porch with Jaime and lowered his mug from his lips after taking a sip of coffee, "Yes, Gilly?"

"The Princess is up and would like to see you."

He checked his watch. It was only half-past six. She was never up that early and his brow furrowed with nerves.

"Thank you. I'll be right there." He stood and Jaime gave him a reassuring look that did nothing to calm him as he walked through the house to her bedroom. He knocked once and let himself in, softly closing the door behind him and looking around for her. He found her curled up with her arms around her knees as she sat in the window seat, taking in the same sunrise he had been. When her head turned and she smiled at him, his worry melted away.

"Hi..." she whispered.

"Good morning, Daenerys." He answered her; his voice just as soft. They both took a moment to look at one another in the light of day, so different than the dark hallway they had kissed in the night before.

She stretched out her legs and swung them over the edge of the window seat to stand. She was wearing light blue silk pajamas, a contrast to the flannels she wore back in London, and he thought she looked every inch of an angel as she walked towards him.

"I think I really like you," she said as she looked up at him, stopping when her bare toes touching the tips of his brown oxfords.

He raised an eyebrow, "You think?"

"I know I really like you," she bit her lip, her eyes moving to his mouth and lingering there, "That kiss..."

"That kiss was certainly not something I expected when I started my service to you just a few weeks ago," Jorah studied her face – the violet in her eyes bright this morning, her skin creamy, and her lips drawing him in, "But it's been my favorite moment of the job".

Daenerys let out the breath she was holding in waiting for his response and Jorah let out his own sigh of relief that he had told her the truth instead of making an excuse for why they couldn't do it again. Jaime's was right – he could figure that all out later.

He couldn't bother to think anymore when she raised herself up on her toes to kiss him and this time, the kiss wasn't so chaste. Jorah wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly to him, gently nipping at her bottom lip to open for him to explore her mouth and he adored the taste of her. One of his hands moved from her waist to run up her back and into her hair, keeping her close as he drank her in, and she held onto him – nether one wanting the moment to end.

A knock on the door startled both of them and they jumped apart – Daenerys nearly stumbling backwards towards the bed where she tried to arrange herself as if everything was normal as Gilly walked in with a tray of breakfast, none the wiser to what had just transpired.

"I brought you a muffin, Captain Mormont, in case you wanted to eat during your meeting," Gilly said as she uncovered the plates and put three lumps of sugar in Daenerys' tea – just how she liked it. As she worked, the Princess and her equerry exchanged blushing smiles across the room from one another.

"That's very thoughtful of you, Gilly," he cleared his throat and thanked the maid, who seemed chuffed at her decision and was soon gone again, leaving them alone. Daenerys broke out in a giggle.

"You nearly pushed me into the wall! You are a strong one, Daenerys," Jorah smirked.

"I was nervous!"

"Clearly..." his eyes softened as he walked back over to her and grabbed the muffin Gilly brought for him off of the tray, "But you shouldn't be. I understand if you want to keep this a complete secret, but I do have to warn you that Captain Lannister knows."

Daenerys took a sip of her tea, "He does?"

"He was in my room last night when you kissed me...he put two and two together."

'Of course. I know he won't say anything...and there is someone I'd like to tell too," Daenerys was already eagerly anticipating what Missy would say, "I know we can keep this a secret here...but back home..."

Jorah moved to sit down on the bed next to her, "Daenerys, I don't have the slightest idea what the right way to do this is or what to do when the Tour is over, but we can figure it out. We will take it slow".

"I don't want to take it slow..." she looked at him with a mischievous glint in her eye that threatened to undo him right then and there.

"Daenerys, you are the Crown Princess of England...we are taking things slow..." he reiterated. He didn't want to rush into this and mess things up. They had only kissed twice and even though he felt as if there was something wholly special about the connection they were building, he still barely knew her. "Now...let's talk about today."

~o0o~

After Jorah had explained her schedule for the day, Daenerys knew it would be busy, but she found herself ill-prepared for the chaos of it all and knew it wouldn't get any easier.

As she shook hand after hand of guests at the morning reception in the Tembisa Township in Johannesburg, she was humbled by their kind words and their excitement for her to be there. She looked back towards Jorah, quietly standing in the background with Grey and tried to convey all of the emotions she is feeling simultaneously. He tipped his head forward and his eyes encouraged her to keep at it. She took a deep breath and turned back to the line of people waiting.

Captain Lannister, Missy, and Gilly had packed up the luggage and were spending the day getting things settled in at their next residence and Gendry seemed to always be close by, snapping candids of her along with the more formal group pictures. Once introductions and pictures were finished, Daenerys made a short speech celebrating the townships' rich history before moving into the breakfast reception.

The day moved on like that – from the Tembisa Township to Victoria Yards, a marketplace of artists and makers and creatives that she was thrilled to meet, and then to the British High Commissioner's residence. Daenerys was moved by the sympathetic words about the loss of Rhaegar and the interesting stories from the people she met. There was always someone wanting her attention and she felt disoriented and spun around every which-way. The only thing that kept her going was the quiet strength of Jorah and the happiness she felt surrounding their early morning together – and the moments after when she was able to tell her best friend that she had been right – that life was too short to not be happy and she was taking her chance to be happy with him.

"You are doing beautifully. Your brother would be proud," Jorah bent his head to whisper encouragement to Daenerys before she took a private audience with Nelson Mandela's widow, Graca Machel. He had been in awe of her all day, rushing from place to place, her never once wanting to cut a conversation short with anyone, and her ability to listen and learn about a place she had never been to and the people she was connected to through the Commonwealth but knew next to nothing about. Rhaegar had always been charming, funny, and gracious, but he thought Daenerys made everything look easy. She was everything her brother was and more, "And I'm proud of you."

~o0o~

"Gilly, how does the chicken look?" Missy called back to the kitchen of their home for the night in Johannesburg. There was a pause and then a happy exclamation. "It's good! A few more minutes!"

After Missy learned that Daenerys had kissed Jorah the night before and a little more this morning, she, Captain Lannister, and Gilly (who they let in on the news) decided that they wouldn't be the best friends they could if they didn't try and help their budding relationship along. After settling into the new place, the three of them went about turning the sun room in the back of the house into a romantic hideaway. The Tour and the confines of royal lodgings were as close to alone as Jorah and Daenerys were going to be able to get.

Gilly started preparing a dinner for them for when they returned from the days' duties and Jaime and Missy procured lots of candles and arranged a small table for dinner in the room.

"Grey just texted that they are on their way back...should only be fifteen or so," Jaime walked into the sunroom carrying silverware and dishes. Missy was busy lighting the dozens of candles.

"Perfect," she replied, straining to reach some of the candles on a higher shelf. Jaime took the lighter from her to help.

"We might actually burn this house down with all of these..." he laughed.

"Worth it if it makes the two of them happy." Missy placed her hands on her hips as she looked around the room to admire their handiwork. It wasn't much, but it could pass as their first official date. Neither of them knew what would come from their blossoming romance and both ignored the obstacles they would surely face once back on British soil. But what they did know was that Jorah and Daenerys were falling in love in the same way Missy and Grey had fallen for one another and Jaime was falling for his girl back home, Brienne.

"They're here!"

Both of them walked out of the sun room when they heard Gilly's call from the front of the house and heard two cars pull up on the dirt driveway outside – one carrying the Princess, Captain Mormont, Gendry and Grey and the other full of the hired security for the grounds.

"Welcome back, how was today?" Jaime asked, over-eagerly as everyone stepped inside. The Princess looked especially drained, even if there was a smile on her face.

"All went well." Grey answered, looking to Missy, aware of the plan that had been concocted while they were gone.

"Great, Daenerys and Captain Mormont, can you come with me?" Missy asked. She and Jaime were hovering over them in the entryway and it was clear their behavior was odd.

"I think the Princess might like to rest a while before dinner," Jorah chimed in and Missy looked to Jaime for help.

"I think the two of you want to see this..." he reiterated and convinced the pair of them to follow him and Missy down the hallway to the very back of the house. He opened the door and ushered them inside to the candlelit room and table, "We've been a bit busy, as you can see. Gilly's just finishing dinner for you".

Daenerys stepped into the room, looking around before turning to her friends and Jorah and smiling. It was clear this was meant to be a space for a little date, and she hugged Missy gratefully, "This is incredible...but what will you be doing?"

"Spending the night in the living room watching a movie very, very loudly so that we don't hear anything that goes on back here." Jamie smirked and the tips of Jorah's ears turned red, "Now go on...get to know each other better."

Jaime patted Jorah on the back when Gilly came into the room, a big smile on her face as she set down two plates of roasted chicken down for them and uncorked a bottle of champagne. It wasn't long before Jorah and Daenerys were fully alone with just the candlelight and the orange luminosity from the sun setting outside. Jorah pulled out her chair for her and then sat down across from her. He suddenly felt very nervous looking at the gorgeous woman across from him – the one he had watched shine all day and who was now glowing brighter than any of the candles surrounding them.

"Tell me one thing about you that I don't know," Jorah asked her, suddenly. He wanted to learn so much about her and even though they had a private audience with one another every morning, this was different. He wasn't her equerry here – he was just a man.

Daenerys took a sip of her champagne, "Well, I had three cats when I was much younger. They were all wild and lived on the grounds of the palace. I found them, one by one, and snuck food from the kitchens to feed them until they trusted me. I named the first one, a white one, after my brother and called him Rhaegal. He was pretty well-behaved. Then I found Viserys, named after my brother. He was a tabby and he had quite the naughty side. The third was a large, fluffy cat that I named Drogon. He looked like an angry dragon and I loved him the most. I finally smuggled them up to my room and of course they tore up all of the furniture and the drapes and made a complete mess. When my maid found them, she was furious and so was my father. But my mother worked her magic and I was able to keep them. I had them until after she died, but when I went to university, I found out that my father got rid of them. I called every shelter around but never did find them," Daenerys recounted the story, giving him an apologetic smile that her tale had turned a bit dark. She hadn't told many people about what her father did, but she held onto that in her heart of hearts, still upset.

Jorah reached across the table and held her hand, "We can get cats for Kensington. You just have to say the word..."

"Maybe," Daenerys nodded, thinking about it and she squeezed his hand before pulling it away to cut into her chicken. "Now, it's your turn..."

Jorah thought about all of the stories he could tell her – the secrets he could unearth for her and the parts of him he could bring into the light of day. He wanted to tell her everything, but his mind pushed him towards a singular thought, "Princess, I don't just like you. I don't just want to see where this goes. After today, I can say, surer than I have ever been, that I am falling in love with you."