A/N: I appreciate all the suggestions! Keep them coming, you never know who's I will possibly use! :) Also, as I've said: all my info from video games, GoT, and a book here and there. If you have knowledge about a particular event or statement, PM me and I'll change things around and thank you! :)

"Well, Ms. Fabray, you are in fact a fine blacksmith. Now, I have something to ask of you," the king said as he placed the sword he was looking at back unto the table. He had just finished looking at all of her pieces of work and Quinn could tell he was impressed.

As he placed the sword back, Quinn picked it back up and sheathed it. Looking at him, she asked, "And what would you ask of me, Your Majesty?"

He smiled at her and answered, "I would like you to consider coming to work for me as both my personal blacksmith and a blacksmith for my men. Would do you say? It would be an honor for me to have someone of your skill and elegance."

The king took her by surprise with that. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever imagine she would be asked to be a blacksmith for the king, let alone be asked by the king. Of course she would dream of it sometimes, but now that it was actually happening, she couldn't fathom it. What would it mean for Will and the shop back at the market place? Surely he couldn't handle doing all the work himself. He may still be fairly young, but he wouldn't be able to do it all by himself. And when he grows old, who would be there to take over the shop? Her friend, Mike, from next door might be able to take over for her, but he would have to learn and who knows how much work the shop might lose when Will teaches him. But this was her chance. Her chance for something bigger and with working at the castle she might be able to forge a friendship with Rachel.

"I can see that you need some time to think it over, after all, you'd be leaving your life behind to start a new one. Don't fret; the offer will remain for however long you need to think about it. I do want to offer you my home for the evening for the day is late and the sun setting behind the mountains. It would be my pleasure to host you for the night. So please, accompany me and my daughter to dinner? I'd at least get to know more about the girl who saved my daughter's life."

His eyes were hopeful and even if she wanted to, turning down the king's offer would reflect badly upon her and the man who raised her. So she smiled at him and said, "It'd be my pleasure to accompany you to dinner, and an honor to stay the night. My thanks, My Lord."

Quinn quickly packed up the weaponry and then she followed the king back into the castle and into the dining hall, where Rachel was already sitting at the table. Upon arrival Rachel stood and went over to the two figures. Quinn saw her eyes light up at the sight of the blonde and her father. "Father, Quinn! What are you doing here?" She asked as she threw her arms around Quinn before the blonde could react.

The brunette completely dismantled the blacksmith when she hugged her. The blonde hesitated for a moment, completely unsure as to what to do. When she saw the king smiling at the pair, she relaxed into the hug and wrapped her arms around the girl's waist to return the hug. The smell of fresh, ripe strawberries clouded her senses as she breathed in the girl. Smiling she memorized the feeling of how the brunette fit securely in her arms and the warmth she brought.

The moment was short lived as the king said, "I asked her to come by so I could look at her work as a blacksmith and to personally thank her for yesterday."

"Really?" Rachel asked as she broke up the hug and Quinn instantly missed the contact.

Quinn smiled warmly at the girl and the king continued, "Yes. And I have to admit, she's the best I've seen in a long time. Now, what do you say we eat?"

They all sat and began to eat the small feast that was on the table. In the middle of the meal, Hiram turned to Quinn, whom he's been observing all throughout the meal. He had seen her and Rachel meet eye contact time after time, and he smiled to himself at what he saw in the blonde's hazel eyes. It was a look he, himself, was familiar with. Clearing his throat with a sip of wine, he said, "So, Quinn. Tell us about yourself. After all, if you decide to come work as my blacksmith, you can't hide any secrets."

Putting her fork down, she broke contact with Rachel and turned to meet Hiram's stare. "What would you like to know, Your Grace?"

"Where do you come from? Who your parents were and how you ended up at the home of William Shuester, that kind of thing."

Quinn chewed on her lower lip and moved her hands into her lap. Family? That was a subject she didn't talk about, not even to Will. But she was talking to the king. The king who is fully open to giving her a home at the castle and yet continue her work as a blacksmith. A job at which she loved and never wanted to give up. Surely he had a right to know who saved his daughter from treacherous hands and evil minds. So with resignation she took a deep breath and said, "My parents were nothing but farmers, Sir. My family did what was asked of them and was loyal to thee. But my father, he was a gambler and one day he couldn't pay his debts. So the man whom he owed came and took my sister and my mother as payment, and they would've taken me as well if I had been home that day. My mother had sent me on an errand and I wasn't due back until supper. When I did return home, the land was on fire and my father's lifeless body was in the front of the house. I was merely an eight year old girl, but I knew I couldn't stay there so I ran. I was wondering the streets searching for food when Will found me. He took me in, fed and clothed me and when I was twelve, he offered to teach me the way of the blacksmith. Ever since then I've gotten up at the crack of dawn and went to work. I will forever be grateful for him, and it's because of that that I have to think about your offer."

Quinn looked up from her lap and saw tears in Rachel's eyes and a seldom look upon Hiram's face. "Do not feel sorry for me, Your Highness. Life happens, and sometimes it doesn't go the way we planned or hoped for. My past is my past and although I carry that day around me, it does not mean that I dwell on it, or feel sorry for myself. It's just another aspect of what makes me…well, me."

Hiram cleared the lump in his throat away and gently took Quinn's porcelain hand, soft but calloused, into his own. "I'm sorry to say that I heard about what happened at a farm in the kingdom, but I did not hear of any survivors. I beg your forgiveness."

Quinn shook her head and a gentle smile formed on her lips. "Do not blame yourself, Your Majesty. No one knew I was a survivor except for Will. You see, my parent's names were Russell and Judy Smith. Fabray is my mother's maiden name. If I wanted to get away, I had to change my last name so the man who took my family away wouldn't be able to find me and do Heaven knows what to me as well. I had to survive until I was old enough to fend for myself and others who are unable to." She casted a glance at Rachel who wouldn't take her eyes off of her. "Survive so I could maybe one day save my family…" She trailed off.

The next thing Quinn knew she was being shown to one of the many guest rooms. It was in a different wing than Rachel's and Hiram's own, but Rachel gladly accompanied Quinn to the room while Hiram bid a good night and hoped for an answer in the morning.

Entering the room, Quinn took in the dark brown bed set, colored drapes around the window, and the family crest of a lion with stars surrounding it set into all the tapestries hanging from the brick wall. Quinn walked deeper into the room and began to remove her sword from her waist.

Rachel stood in the door way and asked, "Quinn?"

Quinn put her sword on the table and turned to look at the gorgeous brunette in a sky blue dress. She smiled her charming smile that had Rachel falling from the moment she picked her up and carried her back into the market. "My Lady," her voice so warm and kind and Rachel would give anything to always have that voice talking by her side.

"Don't do that."

Furrowing her brows, she shook her head. "Do what?"

"Call me "My Lady", or "Your Highness", or anything. Just "Rachel", I am still the same girl from the market. Just like you're "Quinn"."

"As you wish…Rachel."

Smiling Rachel stepped up closer to the angelic blonde. "I like the sound of that."

"What? You're name?"

Stepping closer, they were close enough to share breaths and Quinn's heart began pounding heavily against her chest. "Yes, falling from your lips."

"Rachel…I…"

"Quinn?"

"Yes?" Closing her eyes, Quinn breathed in that lovely strawberry scent, she loved so much.

"I saw the way you looked at me and how you still look at me."

Opening her hazel eyes, Quinn saw confusion in Rachel's own brown eyes. "And how do I look at you?"

"Like the way I look at you when you're not looking." Before she could say anything else, Rachel leaned up and placed her lips firmly against Quinn's. Her hands went up to cup the blonde's face, holding her in place. Taken aback by the sudden kiss, Quinn kept her eyes wide open until she knew Rachel wasn't going to pull away, and then slid them close. Quinn then brought her arms around Rachel's shoulders to bring her closer.

Their lips continued to mold together as one, tasting, memorizing, and just being against each other wasn't enough for either girl. Taking a leap of faith, Quinn parted her lips and began to run her tongue along Rachel's bottom lip.

The blonde was knocked back as Rachel jumped out of Quinn's arms and now stood a good distance apart. Hurt, confusion, and a small amount of remaining lust were all present in Quinn's eyes as she looked at Rachel. "Too fast? I do apologize, sometimes my brain stops functioning and my body just reacts a certain way," Quinn apologized profusely.

"I'm the one who should apologize. I don't know what came over me, there's just…something about you intrigues me, Quinn."

"So…so you don't regret it?" She asked after a moment. She prayed to the Gods that she didn't. Because if she did, Quinn didn't know what she'd do.

"No, no. Not at all. Do you?"

"Of course not…but I have these feelings for you, which I've never felt for anyone else before. It doesn't matter that you're a girl as I am, and that being with you could mean any number of things. All I do know is that I want you." Quinn replied honestly as she crossed the room back over to the princess.

"Quinn…we can't…I'm sorry, but I can't."

"Rachel, you just said that you didn't regret the kiss, and that you look at me the same way I look at you. So why can't we?"

"Besides the fact we could both be hanged?"

"You're the princess! They wouldn't hang you!"

"Maybe not, but they could hang you! And if my father found out…Quinn, we just can't."

A moment of thick silence filled the room as Rachel sat on a sofa chair and Quinn remained standing. Releasing a heavy sigh, Quinn took off her tunic, for it was getting too hot for her. Placing it next to her sword, she turned back to the brunette and un-tucked her white shirt so that it hung loose on her body. Quinn closed her eyes to try and rid the pounding in her head. She felt a headache coming on and from their conversation and the stitches still present, she wanted to sleep.

"Can we still try and be friends?" Quinn asked. The thick, heavy silence was getting too much for her and she wanted to ease Rachel's obviously troubled mind and heart.

Looking up from her lap, Rachel nodded happily. "I'd love that. Wait, does this mean you're going to take my father up on his offer and become his blacksmith?" She sounded so hopefully and Quinn didn't realize it when she offered, but now she did. She would do anything if she got to see Rachel, even from a forge under the intense heat from a fire.

"As long as I get to see you." Quinn smiled that charming smile and Rachel jumped up and into Quinn's arms. "Remember that I'll always be your friend? Okay, no matter what." Quinn whispered softly as she held the girl tight in her embrace. Rachel nodded against her shoulder and Quinn's heart took flight once again.

Nuzzling her face against where neck met shoulder, Rachel breathed and said, "Know that I'll always be yours as well?"

Quinn's smile could only grow as she hugged the princess tighter and placed a loving kiss on the top of her head. "Always."

A/N: thoughts? leave a review! :)