Olivia was helping her comrades on kitchen duty by bringing food to the soldiers. "Um, excuse me, Gregor?" she asked. "I have your dinner if you're hungry."
"Gregor is very big man, yes? And big man is always hungry!" he replied as he accepted the meal from her. "So, it was your turn to make with the cooking, eh?"
"Yes, I'm on chef duty today. It's actually my first time, so if you don't like the food, just...let me know."
"Gregor shall sample and give report." She mentally prepared herself for his criticism as he took a large slurp.
"W-well?" she asked.
"This is tastiest liver stew Gregor has eaten in whole life!" he declared.
"Oh! You recognize it? N-not many people outside of Regna Ferox know this dish. ...Er, or like it, for that matter."
"Gregor is sellsword," he explained. "He serve many masters and travel to countless lands. Ah! Is good for the reminding! Gregor has large bag of secret spice." He pulled it out from his pouch. "...Here. He put in stew and you taste."
"Um, okay…" Olivia watched as Gregor stirred in the spice and then she took a tentative sip. "Oh, it's twice as good! And you only added that tiny bit!"
"Gregor's spice can turn thin bowl of gruel into feast fit for king!"
"It's amazing what a tiny pinch of seasoning can do for a meal," Olivia said. "So, um… Would you be willing to share some with me? ...Pleeease?"
"Many regrets, but Gregor is out of spice. He can make more, but it takes time, yes?"
"Perhaps I can help? I mean, I could gather the ingredients or something?" she offered.
"This is happy idea! When you finish cooking meals for local oafs, you come find Gregor, yes?"
"I'll do that!"
Olivia met with Gregor after she finished with her chef duties.
"Today is okay, yes? You join Gregor on trip into woods?" he asked.
"You mean to gather ingredients, right? For your secret spice blend?"
He nodded. "Yes. We must go deep into woods, so Gregor is thinking we pack lunch.
"Oh, all right. I can make sandwiches if you want."
"No, no. Gregor not let girl with small hands do all the work! Come. Gregor will help with the making of sandwiches."
"All right…" Olivia wasn't sure how this was going to go, but if Gregor wanted to help then she wouldn't argue with him.
When they finished Gregor said, "Good. Thanks to you, we now have picnic hamper full of tastiness!"
"You're being kind - I'm sorry I wasn't much help. I'm so terrible at making sandwiches…"
"Gregor is being...confused. Perhaps he not hear your language so well? Olivia is sad, yes? Is thinking she bumbles about in kitchen like drunk bear? But Olivia is fine cook. When is her day in mess hall, Gregor salivate with excitement!
Olivia blushed at his compliment. "Really?! Oh my gosh, I never… I mean, people don't usually tell me that."
"Then people are idiots," Gregor insisted. "You listen to Gregor and learn truth. Olivia is tasty cook and lovely dancer. Gregor think she would make fine wife."
"Oh, stop that, you're embarrassing me! I'm none of those things."
"But is true! Sellsword know how to see true value in people, yes? And Gregor is master of sellswords! Gregor never make mistake."
"Oh stop it, Gregor! I know you're just saying these things to be nice." Why else would anyone compliment her? Olivia knew that she wasn't anything that special. "But, um… Thank you."
That didn't mean it wasn't nice to hear every now and then.
"You are being most welcome," he said.
"Gregor! There you are." Olivia ran up to him in a panic.
"What is wrong? You look to be making with the yelling at any moment," he said.
"Gregor, let me look at your back. I think you may be injured."
"Why are you thinking so?"
"Because you're limping around like a two-legged mule!" Even she was a bit surprised at her outburst.
"You have been spying on Gregor's movements…"
"I'm a dancer, Gregor. I always notice how people are moving around," she explained.
He sighed. "Ah, well. You have taken cat out of bag. Gregor may be tiny bit injured."
Olivia shook her head. "See? Now lift up your shirt and let me take a look at…" She had him lift his shirt and was appalled at the severity of the wound. "Eek! Gregor, I can see the bone!"
"Ha! Is nothing! One time Gregor's leg fall off and he sew it back on. But if pretty lady with small hands want to nurse Gregor, he will not complain."
"Oh my goodness," Olivia murmured. "It's hard to look at. Okay, so just hold still," she said as she prepared to apply the tonic. "This might sting a little bit…"
Gregor acted tough as she applied the medicine, but she could feel him squirming. "Ho ho! Gregor… He feels nothing!"
"Gregor is going to feel something if he doesn't hold still!" She finished applying the medicine and Gregor seemed grateful.
"...Ahhh, is good. Gregor is feeling better already."
"Listen, I want you to go talk to one of the healers, all right?" she asked. "Just to make sure you don't get gangrene or something."
"For old man like Gregor, being nursed by beautiful woman is best medicine of all," he said.
She shook her head at his quips. "Hop to it, mister!"
Gregor approached her with a smile on his face. "Oy, Olivia! Gregor have big surprise for you today."
"Oh? What is it?"
He pulled the surprise out of his pocket. "Is small pouch of secret spice blend! Just as Gregor promised."
"Oh, thank you, Gregor! This is going to be so…" She trailed off as she felt something. "Um, wait. There's something hard in here." She pulled it out. "Oh! It's a ring! You must have dropped this in here when you were grinding." She tried to give it back to him, but he wouldn't accept.
"Is...how you say? No problem? Gregor is giving you ring, yes?"
"Gregor, this is huge. It must have been so expensive! I can't take it," she insisted.
"Okay, okay! Gregor is not putting in pouch by accident. He does this on purpose. Is all part of sneaky and elaborate plan," he explained. "Gregor goes to dangerous places and collects many rare spices… Then he can give you expensive ring in unexpected and charming manner."
"Dangerous places… Wait, is that how you hurt your back?"
"Olivia not need to know!" (Which meant: Yes, yes it was.) "Is embarrassing story anyway. Involve slippery rock and angry squirrel."
"Oh, I'm so sorry… You went to so much trouble on my account…"
"Gregor not sorry! Gregor will face army of angry squirrels for you. You are first woman Gregor truly loves, and now is time for the proving. So what does Olivia say? You accept ring and proposal of marriage, yes?"
Her face was as red as a tomato. "I… I don't know, Gregor. It's all so sudden."
"Hmm… This is not answer Gregor is hoping for."
"I'm sorry, it's just… My mind is whirling in a thousand directions at once!"
"Then you have answer."
"I do?"
"Your mind is spinning because of the happiness, yes?" Well, he did have a point there. "So if you marry Gregor, you can be happy forever!"
"Hmm… You know, you just might have something there…" Olivia came to her decision. "All right! Let's do it! Let's get married!"
"Oy, Gregor feel huge pain in chest when you bat eyelashes like that!" he said, but he was smiling.
"I'm sorry, I'll try not to… Oh, wait. That's a good thing, isn't it?"
"Is very good thing!"