For the anon who wanted Smithy/Pepper.
It was a tricky thing, seeing someone you hardly ever actually saw.
They both worked hard in their separate domains, from before the sun rose in the morning until long after it had set. He tending to the animals, the forge and the knights, and she bound to her kitchen by invisible chains.
Their king and their kingdom depended upon them. Unfed and unarmed how could a castle run? Certainly it could not thrive.
And yet, in the darkest hours of the morning, while royals and knights, gardeners and fools all slept soundly, delicate pale hands were covered by large, tanned ones as they kneaded the day's bread.
The work continued, as it must and always did, but in companionable silence, accompanied by delicate touches, shy glances and blushing smiles.
They would spend just an hour or two together, alone, unpretending, and then he would leave her to her fire and return to his own.
It was a tricky thing, but a precious one, and those stolen hours made it all worthwhile.