After reaching your house, you got changed into your night clothes and tried to clear your head. The party had been a lot more eventful than you had anticipated, and you were still feeling exultant and intoxicated from it. You couldn't stop thinking about Royland and his slurred words, and all the different sides of him you'd seen that night.
Thinking back on it, he'd been acting differently towards you even before the drinking game had commenced. What could this mean? It was clear that he was trying to make an effort of some sort when he'd approached you in the first place, even having to decency to offer you a free drink. What surprised you most, however, was that he'd asked you to dance with him; his actions had seemed desperate and needy, which was the polar opposite of the way he normally acted. But the icing on the cake was truly when you found out that the party had been planned at his suggestion all along.
As you replayed the night's events in your mind, trying to get to sleep had become more trouble than it was worth. If you weren't already sure of it, you could now confirm that you were undoubtedly and hopelessly in love with Royland - your superior. And he also had an interest in you.
You were overjoyed by this knowledge, and didn't know what to do. It was the early hours of the morning, and you were buzzing with energy. The idea of going out for a stroll or a jog didn't particularly pique your interest, no matter how tempting it may have been. Instead, you decided to do some warm up exercises to burn some energy. Your home was by no means big, but you had just about enough space to move without incident.
After forty-five minutes or so, you were finally beginning to feel tired, so you lay down on your uncomfortable, threadbare cot, and allowed a deep, dreamless sleep take you.
Loud knocking awoke you from your surprisingly peaceful slumber. What time was it? This was strange, really. You'd never had anyone knock for you; not since you'd moved. After brushing your hair quickly so it looked slightly more presentable, you opened the door.
There stood the man you'd spent all night pining for, wearing the same attire as before. As soon as he saw you, he enveloped you in a strong, bearlike embrace. Trying to hide your shock, you hesitantly returned the gesture. "Royland, I didn't expect to see you again so soon." Royland replied by gently caressing your hair, just as he had done last night.
"You make it sound as if you don't want me here." He replied, half-jokingly. No matter how much he tried to mask it behind his humour, you still saw the tinge of fear in his warm eyes. The fear of rejection.
"You know I didn't mean it like that." Tightening your grip around his torso, you nestled your head into his chest for a moment, before returning his gaze. The smell of last night's beer still lingered on him, and the usual potent scent his tarnished skin possessed seemed to power through more than usual. You could not stop your eyes from tracing the mannishly charming features upon his face, as you looked up at him.
"I had to see you. After last night... I would like to apologise for the trouble I caused you." Pulling away slightly, he moved his hands up to your shoulders, and regarded your smaller form lovingly. "However, I would not like to apologise for my feelings. I understand that you probably do not feel the same, with the age gap and all,"
"Royland." You interrupted.
"you're young, you should go out there and find yourself a young man or woman who has many years ahead of them such as yourself, and-"
"Royland!" His speech ceased, and his attention was diverted slightly; more towards the floor. Glad to finally silence him, you sighed in relief, and brought your hands up to his own, which were slightly gnarled with age.
"Royland, I don't care. I love you. I don't care if you're older than me. I want to spend my life with you, as more than a subordinate. If things eventually don't work out, we can take that as it comes, but right now, I'd rather just be with you."
Your words clearly shocked him. "A - Are you certain? Even so, you'd do a lot better with someone within your age range. For example, a fellow knight-"
"You know, knight commanders with the name 'Royland Degore' are more my style." Royland tried to conceal his constantly deepening blush with half-hearted frustration.
"But (Y/N)-"
"Royland. I don't care what you, or anyone else thinks is better for me. As much as I appreciate the sentiment, I know what is best for me right now, and even if I turn out to be wrong in the long run, I don't care. I want to be happy, and take chances whenever I can, in the short amount of time I have to live in this world. It would be such a waste for us to not give this relationship a shot, when our feelings are mutual. Right now, I know I'll be happiest with you."
Gulping back the lump in his throat at your passionate defiance, Royland questioned you one last time. "It is a gamble that you're taking here. I don't want you to feel pressured because you think it'll hurt my feelings, or result in a demotion, or-" He was cut off by your luscious lips meeting his chapped, albeit virile ones. The kiss was chaste and brief, but it was enough to make Royland go weak in the knees.
"I've been waiting nearly three years for this, Royland. I'm sure this is what I want. You aren't pressuring me at all, and I hope you don't feel pressured, either. I won't regret this." Finally accepting defeat, Royland fervently embraced you again, this time burying his face into your hair, inhaling your voluptuous scent greedily. Your stubbornness had actually been one of the many things that had drawn him to you, because you were the only one who could match him - sometimes even best him - in that department.
"I love you, (Y/N)." Smiling sincerely, with a jubilant glint in your eyes, you reached up on your tiptoes and planted a light kiss on one of his stubbly cheeks. "I love you too."
Deciding to treat you to breakfast, Royland walked with you down the dirt paths, arm-in-arm. You couldn't help but notice the feeling of heartwarming comfort you felt whenever you were with him, and how your limbs seemed to intertwine perfectly. "Royland, what time is it?"
"Quarter past ten, last time I checked." Your calm demeanour was now oxymoronic, as you felt panic enter your brain and spread signals throughout your whole body. "Oh no! Royland, we're late for training!" Chuckling at your statement, he kissed you on the top of your head fondly. "Hey! What was that for? What's so funny?!"
"I cancelled it."
"You what?!" You exclaimed, unable to contain your surprise.
"I wanted to see you. Besides, I made a fool of myself last night - according to Lord Rodrik himself - and you helped me out of it, so I had to thank you. I was no shining example to the troops under my guidance. Hopefully, they will work harder after being given the luxury of this short break. However, the training schedule will resume tomorrow morning. I cannot have my soldiers lacking in discipline or skill."
Nodding, you couldn't help feeling flattered. Even if you weren't the sole reason for it, Royland had cancelled training for the first time since you'd started working under him, to spend time with you. He was not an easily embarrassed man by any means, and most of the knights-in-training were terrified of him, so he knew they wouldn't bring up his actions of the night prior.
You felt silly, relishing in the fact he'd slacked off for you, but it's not like you were going to tell him, so you didn't worry about it.
Royland escorted you to a rowdy tavern situated close to the village. However, its everyday loudness ceased in its entirety as you entered through its shabby wooden door, arm linked with the infamously strict and draconian knight commander.
Royland walked you towards the table he occupied whenever he visited, although that was never often. It always seemed to be deserted, so that was where he always sat. Pulling your chair out for you, he made sure you were seated before he took his place opposite you.
"What would you like to eat?" He asked, aiming his full attention towards you.
"Uhm, whatever you'd recommend, I suppose... I've never been here before." Royland chuckled.
"I suppose that is a fair point, although I can't help but feel as if you've never been to a tavern before at all."
Blushing at the precision of his remark, you averted your gaze embarrassedly. You never had much money after you'd paid for basic necessities, and it was not as if you had any friends whom you could go out with anyway. Your incredible skill had granted you an intimidating exterior, according to fellow knights and others. Although this was rather positive - especially for a young woman such as yourself - it came with the price of being isolated from the majority of social environments, with locals and the like.
Royland's eyes widened slightly as he came to the realisation that his jest had struck true, and gently reached for your hand across the old table.
"No matter. If you stick with me, we can have all sorts of new experiences together, I assure you of that."
You inwardly curse yourself as you read into his comment more suggestively than you should've, and look down as your cheeks became redder.
"I - Look, I didn't mean it like that, and you know it. So don't make it out like I'm an old pervert." You shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, feeling scrutinized and judged, but also surprised at how quick he was to catch on. Feeling embarrassed himself (but hiding it well), he resumed to a standing position, looking resolute.
"I'll go and order the food now." With that, he turned around and headed towards the bar. You felt awkward but also sad. You felt as if you'd made him uncomfortable, even if it wasn't your intention. 'It's all his fault anyway for being able to read people so easily,' you thought jokingly.
As the door to the tavern opened with an aggressive slam, your attention was brought to the small figure of your young companion.
"Talia?" You questioned, barely believing what you were seeing. Her expression changed as she saw you, smiling energetically and waving at you.
"Hey, (Y/N)! I heard you had the first day off in history, so I was looking for you!" She sat opposite you, now occupying Royland's seat.
"So, where is he?" You tilted your head towards the bar in indication. "I knew it! I just knew something had happened between you two!" She stood up and pranced to your side of the table, grasping your hands in hers, a palpable impishness displayed in her grin. "You're so lucky to have someone who loves you and will look after you! You and Elaena both!"
You shushed her desperately, but she either ignored you or was too caught up in her moment of excitement to notice.
"I wonder when I'll meet someone?! Will it be a Lord of another House, or a charming street beggar?! Perhaps a hunter, or a ship captain? Oh, there's so many choices! I do hope I find my match soon!"
Her frivolity had caught the attention of everyone present in the tavern, especially Royland himself, but he chose not to intervene.
"Talia, will you quieten it down a little?" You hissed, feeling anxious as you felt about twenty-two different pairs of eyes gazing upon you. She stuck her tongue out in defiance.
"Hey, that's easy for you to say! Your life's made! You're already so high in the rankings, and now you're with the man of your dreams! I feel so left out these days, you know. Everybody around me is growing up and having fun, taking on important and mature roles. I've got a lot of growing up to do."
She may have sounded bratty or spiteful to an outsider, but you knew that she was just speaking her mind, and did not intend to offend nor irritate you with her words. After knowing her for years, you had adjusted to her eccentric outbursts, and sometimes even appreciated them. She was always honest during them, and could give you an unbiased opinion on questions you'd ask.
"Do you really think Royland and I will last?"
Talia giggled. "Well, why don't you ask him that for yourself? He's right behind you, (Y/N)!"
You felt your face go slightly pale. What you'd said hadn't been particularly bad, but you still felt as if it could upset him.
However, you felt a big warm hand stroke the back of your head repetitively. You shivered as you felt warm breath tickle the back of your neck, and edge closer towards your ear.
"I won't force you into anything, lass. This - whatever it is - can last for as long as you wish. I am at your disposal."
Talia gave you a questioning look, especially as your face was painted with ruby encrusted roses, but did not press the matter. "I should be leaving now. Thanks for the day off, Royland! (Y/N) needs a break every once in awhile. I'll see you two lovebirds later." Talia winked and blew a kiss flirtily at you, leaving you with the remark, "You'd better keep (Y/N) safe Royland, or I just might have to be the one to snatch her off of you."
You shuffled in your seat, unable to respond. Royland gave you a confident yet comforting half smile, and patted your arm. "Although I didn't need the encouragement, I'll now work harder to become the one that is most worthy of you." Bringing his hand up to your face at your own accord, you smiled as you nuzzled him affectionately.
"But Royland, you already are."