After three drinks, both of you were pleasantly tipsy. "Before we continue, may I have this dance?" You smirked. "Why, old man? Scared you're going to lose?" Royland smiled, but shook his head.
"Not particularly." He stood up, and held his hand out to you. "I'd just rather remember this part of the evening." His warm brown eyes radiated honesty and earnest. You had never seen so many different sides of Royland till now; this was definitely a good thing.
Your attention was brought to his short white tunic, worn with a thick chestnut belt. His attire wasn't overly-formal, but it suited him just fine - he was not an overly-formal person, after all. Donning black trousers with dark brown boots added to the outfit's simplicity; but Royland still gave off a sophisticated vibe. You loved it.
Taking his longing hands, you stood up, allowing Royland to guide you to the middle of the dance hall. Feeling slightly nervous, with possibly every pair of eyes in the room staring at you, relaxation fills you somewhat when you felt Royland squeeze your hand in encouragement. Unfortunately, it was short-lived, as you realised once again that you were still wearing your armour, and felt even more self-conscious than before; but Ser Royland did not seem to mind its cold metallic edges, nor its bulkiness. Perhaps he had surpassed tipsy already?
Delicately guiding your hands around his shoulders, Royland held his hands loosely around your waist, and as you two gazed into each other's eyes, the hired band began to play a soft, slow tune, and the both of you became acutely more aware of the other couples around you, making their way onto the dance floor.
But they didn't matter. All that mattered to you in this moment was that you were in the arms of the man you loved - even if he was unaware of it. You wanted this time to last forever, no matter how cliche it sounded. Would you ever tell him your feelings? Only time could tell.
Noticing your concentration on him was wavering as you began getting lost in thought, Royland tightened his grip around you - not painfully so, but so that you felt more secure, and knew that you would not be separated from him easily. As the music played on, you stepped closer to him than before, and made the bold move of burying your face in the crook of his neck. Feeling his unexpectedly caring hands stroke your head in a slow, repetitive and unexpectedly affectionate motion surprised you, but it was not an unwelcome luxury. It seemed to be something that he was doing more for himself rather than your benefit; as if he needed comforting for some reason. Pulling you closer in a brisk but careful motion - as if you would break if he were to be rough with you - he rested his head against your shoulder gently and held you a little more tightly.
As you both swayed to the music, feeling a sense of completion as you were pressed up against each other, you secretly wished that this moment would never end. But, of course, like all good things, the song did come to an end; but that didn't stop Royland from holding onto you for an extra ten seconds even after the music stopped. Once he broke away, he looked to the side and started itching the back of his neck in his self-conscious habit.
"Let's finish the game." Royland uttered, refusing to meet your eyes as you both returned to your table.
Just over an hour and eight tankards of beer later, Royland was extremely drunk, and could barely stand up by himself, his vision a blur and his voice a slur. You had never seen the knight commander in such a state in all two years and ten months of working under him, and to say it was a surprise was a huge understatement. He started to yell and flail about the party, making some guests laugh, while others looked down in disgust or snorted in disapproval. As you sat in awe of the spectacle before you, Talia tapped your shoulder. Turning to her, you noticed her scheming look right away. What was she planning?
"(Y/N), darling, I know this party is dedicated to you and all, but would you please do House Forrester the honour of escorting the Lord's sentinel to his quarters?" Sighing at the request, you brushed your hand through your hair before nodding. "Of course, Lady Talia."
Walking across the room to your drunkard commander, you put an arm around his shoulder. "Oh, (Y/N)! Thank the Gods you're here! This party's been bollocks since you left." You chuckled slightly. Just because you weren't in his line of vision, he'd thought you'd decided to leave without telling him. You felt flattered at his comment and relished in his new-found attachment to you.
"Don't worry, Royland. I'd never leave you." You flirted shamelessly, but you weren't afraid anymore. If Talia was right, he was interested in you to some extent, and if he wasn't, it didn't matter anyway. He probably wouldn't remember anything by dawn.
"Come on, Royland. Let's take you to your quarters. The party's over now." Oblivious to your blatant lie, Royland smiled triumphantly. "I knew it all along! After you left-" He continued to babble - somewhat incoherently - as you escorted him to House Forrester's sentinel quarters. You nodded or shook your head now and again to what you could make out, feeling his clouded chocolate eyes gaze upon you.
"Here we are." You said. "Have you got your key with you?" Nodding, Royland tried to balance by himself as he reached into both of his trouser pockets, nearly falling over. You supported him again by holding him from the side before he toppled over. "I never knew you'd touch me with every chance you get, (Y/N)." Remarked Royland, winking fondly at you. You blushed slightly, looking away from him in embarrassment as he unlocked his door. "Now be a dear and help me into bed before the walls start spinning again."
Obeying, you closed the door behind both of you and led him to his bed, pulling the blankets to the bottom of it as you helped him lie down. Seeing him struggle to reach his shoes, you pulled them off for him and removed his clammy white socks. "Thank you, (Y/N). You're a dear... no wonder I like you." Resembling a tomato, pushed to the edge of Elaena Glenmore's plate, with your blush, you tried to ignore his drunken comment and pulled the blankets over him. "Tuck me in and tell me a bedtime story!" He whined. You giggled awkwardly at his childish remark. Who was this person and what had they done with the real Royland?
You sat on the side of his bed, as he snuggled under the blankets, an earnest twinkle in his eyes visible, even in the dark. "I think I'd better light a candle before any of that." Looking dejected, he watched as you lit the candle on his bedside cabinet. You felt arms snake their way around your waist, and looked down to see his tunic-clad arms and large, robust hands. "I love you.." He muttered sleepily into your back. What?
There is no way that just happened. You must be hearing things. Your thoughts were overruled when you heard him repeat the words again. No way. He must have been referring to someone else, right? Mistaking you for the love of his life in his drunken stupor. Yeah, that's it. There's no way he'd say that to you. This was all a side effect of the fair amount of alcohol you had ingested, and wishful thinking. That had to be it.
"I love you, (Y/N)."
You felt like your heart would stop. There was no way you shared the name of someone he loved... unless he really did mean you. He would've told you if you shared the name of someone anyway; or at least, you assumed so. Trying to remove his arms from around you, he tightened his grip. "No! Don't... leave me." He'd misinterpreted your action. All you wanted to do was turn around and embrace him for yourself, but you sighed as you accepted he wouldn't let go. "My armour is digging into you, Royland."
"I don't care." After struggling for a while, you finally managed to pry him off of you, and laid him back on his pillow and stroked his hair as he accepted his defeat. Hearing him whimper, you held his hand in yours, and listened as his breaths began to become deeper and longer. Ten minutes later, you were sure he was asleep, and left to get him a cup of water for when he woke up. After returning, you placed the cup carefully on the cabinet beside his bed, and watched as he slept peacefully. He looked adorable in a childish way, but his rugged and mature charm still remained. After blowing the candle out, you left a prolonged kiss on his forehead, and drew his curtains. Taking his room key, you locked his door from the outside, and then pushed it under the door for him to find in the morning.
As you walked down the staircase, your fingers found themselves on your lips. Had Royland really meant you? Only time would tell. After walking in the cold night air, you went back to the party to bid everyone farewell before leaving; the party was dedicated to you, after all. You were glowing with happiness despite your tired demeanour, and Talia gave you a knowing glance before you left to turn in for the night.