Rhynne wandered into the dining hall. Airianne put her muffin down. "Good morning."
"Good morning." Rin sat down and picked up a muffin. She started nibbling on it.
Airianne glanced at the sun above the horizon. Rhynne was early. She listened for more footsteps from the hall, but detected none. "How odd." she thought. She made a pretense of reading her Mother's messages and glanced several times in her direction. There seemed to be dark shadows under her eyes.
Rin munched on the muffin to feed her grumbling stomach. After Arturia ran away so suddenly, she waited for her to come back until the clock struck one. Finally, she gave up and went to her room. But she kept worrying about Arturia and could not sleep. After she finished her muffin, she poured herself some tea.
Footsteps and voices in the hall declared the arrival of Bedivere and Arturia. From their voices, they seemed to be talking about horses. They entered the dining room dressed in riding cloaks. Their hair was tousled and there were several small stems of hay stuck to their cloaks.
"Good morning." They greeted them and took off their cloaks. Bedivere sat next to Airianne while Arturia sat next to Rhynne. They both reached for a muffin.
"Art we late?" asked Bedivere.
"Nay, we hath just started." replied Airianne.
Bedivere noted the wrinkled parchment. "What news?"
"Mother and Syrowe attended a ball." Airianne giggled. "Poor Syrowe hath so much trouble with the ladies. Mother and he had to leave early."
"Tis well that they left. Some art rather desperate to catch a mate."
"Doth I hear the voice of experience?" asked Airianne jokingly.
"Methinks this conversation hath exceeded the bounds of propriety." said Bedivere dryly. "Anyway, dost thou have a spindle? I wish to sew banners for the ball."
"Ye can sew?" exclaimed Airianne.
"Yea. Twas part of mine studies at Rosenharte."
Rin sipped the last of her tea and put it down. She watched Arturia warily from the corner of her eye.
Arturia picked up the teapot. To her surprise, she poured tea into her empty cup. Rin blinked several times before she responded, "Mine thanks."
Arturia smiled slightly at her. "Thou art welcome."
Rin felt relieved at those words. She was so worried that Arturia would not speak to her. She looked at the stack of freshly baked muffins. She picked one and bit into it. She was much hungrier than she thought.
---For the rest of the day, Arturia acted as if last night's incident did not happen. Rin felt very relieved at this, but kept observing her for any sign that she might be upset with her. The day passed quickly and Bedivere began their dance lessons once again.
She and Bedivere waltzed for about half an hour before she commented, "Thou hath improved vastly.
Shall I give thee a reward?" Before she had a chance to react, Bedivere twirled her about and released her. She spun awkwardly and felt someone catch her. When she looked up, she found herself gazing at Arturia's face. Just behind them, Airianne waltzed with Bedivere.
Rin quickly checked her hand position and was surprised to discover that Arturia was wearing gloves.
She returned her gaze to Arturia's face. She smiled calmly at her. Rin smiled back and did her best to keep up with her.
After waltzing for ten minutes, Rin felt that this dance was different from last night. Arturia's guiding hand seemed more confident and her steps were more evenly paced and smooth. And the way that Arturia gazed at her seemed different as well. Rin shook the thoughts from her mind. It must be just her imagination.
But she was happy that Arturia did not seem upset and that she had another chance to dance with her.
Furthermore, she did not have to worry about the marks since Arturia was wearing gloves. At the thought that was she wearing it for her sake, her heart became giddy with joy at her kind consideration.
She enjoyed the rest of the dance in a state of bliss.
---After the evening's entertainment was over, Bedivere and Airianne wished them good night and left the sitting room together. Arturia's eyebrows rose with an unspoken question and she looked at Rin. Rin answered back with upturned palms and a shrug. They walked back to their rooms.
"What art thy plans tomorrow morning?" asked Arturia.
Rin was startled a bit. She tried to figure out what Arturia was thinking. "I hath not planned that far ahead."
"Then will thou be interested for a morning stroll?"
Her question perked her curiosity. "Of course. Whither shall we go?"
Arturia held her index finger to her lips and winked briefly. "That... is a secret."
Rin forgot her nervousness and chuckled at the sight. Arturia looked so cute for a moment. "When should I wake?"
"I shall wake thee when tis proper. But I must advise thee to sleep early, for we shall rise early."
Arturia paused and added as an afterthought, "Oh, and I will need permission to enter thy room."
Rin opened the door to her room. "Thou may enter whenever thou wish. Thou art always welcome in mine room. Now I shall take thy advice and sleep. Good night."
Arturia was a bit surprised at Rhynne's gracious reply. She regained her composure quickly and replied, "Good night." Then she made her way to her own room to sleep.
---It was still dark when Arturia woke her. She dressed up and met her in the great hall. Arturia was carrying a knapsack and a traveling pack. Rin offered to help her, but Arturia refused and insisted on carrying them. They fetched Haut from the stable and secured the knapsack and the pack on him. Then they descended on the platform and made their way out of the mine.
Arturia handed Rhynne a dark red riding cloak. "Please wear this. Tis a bit chilly in the morn."
Rin slipped the cloak on and flicked the hair caught under it.
Arturia nodded appreciatively at the sight of Rhynne flicking her hair. "This hue suits thee well."
She offered her hand to help Rhynne into the saddle.
Rin noted her gloved hand. With a smile of relief, she grasped it in hers. Arturia helped her up and then mounted Haut behind her.
They galloped down the path with only the crescent moon to light their way. They continued down the main road and took a side road that cut into a forest. After about twenty minutes, Arturia slowed down a bit and guided Haut down a narrow path. The branches blocked the light of the moon so she
dis-mounted and lit a small lantern in front of Haut's chest. Then they resumed their journey.
Soon a small river broke the path. Arturia backed up Haut about thirty feet from it. Her arm slipped around Rin's waist.
"We shall jump over it. Fret not. Haut can do it easily."
"All right..." said Rin. She grabbed the rim of the saddle and steeled her nerves.
Arturia urged Haut to a gallop and then pulled up with his reins just before the river. With a mighty leap, Haut jumped over it. Rin felt her stomach flipping over as they sailed through the air. Leaves brushed her face and hair.
Arturia slowed Haut down to a canter. "Did the leap alarm thee?"
"Nay." Rin felt for Arturia's hand on her waist and squeezed it. "It was an exciting leap." She chuck-led. "I felt mine stomach fly."
Arturia felt Rhynne's squeeze. Her heart leapt at her touch. Then she laughed at Rhynne's last state-ment. She reached up and slowly removed a leaf from Rhynne's hair. "Methinks I made him leap too high." This time she removed a petal.
Rin felt her cheeks get warm as Arturia took her time to remove the leaves and petals from her hair.
When she was done, they resumed their journey. They exited the forest and galloped across a meadow.
Then they returned to a paved road that entered another forest. When they exited the forest, they came upon a small meadow that ended at the shores of a lake.
They dismounted near a clump of bushes. Arturia went into the bushes and pushed a small rowboat out on the lake's sandy shore. Once again, Arturia refused Rin's offer of help. She helped Rin into the rowboat before fetching the knapsack from Haut's side.
Arturia pushed the boat into the water and hopped in with the grace of a cat. She picked up the oars and rowed into the lake. Rin watched her with a puzzled look and then watched the shore. The light from Haut's lantern grew smaller and smaller.
Finally, Arturia stopped rowing. She secured the oars. Rin rubbed her hands and blew into them to warm them up.
Arturia noticed Rhynne. She reached for the knapsack and pulled out a quilted blanket. To prevent the boat from rocking, she made her way slowly towards Rhynne and sat next to her. She put the blanket around her shoulders.
"Mine thanks." said Rin with a blush. "But this cloak is quite warm. Only mine hands felt the chill."
"Is that so? Shall I warm thy hands instead?" Arturia held out her hand.
Rin stared at Arturia's hand for a moment. She remembered Bedivere's advice. "Oh, what the hell...
I'm too lazy to think of excuses right now." she thought. She gathered her courage and put her hand on Arturia's.
Arturia put her other hand on top. As she pressed her hands together, Rin's fingertips edged forward and touched the cold skin of Arturia's wrist.
Her heart warmed with Arturia's act of kindness. With a half-joking voice, she playfully told Arturia,
"How can thou warm mine hand, when thy own skin is just as cold?" She pulled her hand away and lifted the edge of the blanket. Then she scooted closer to Arturia and draped the blanket around Arturia's shoulders to enclose them together under its warmth.
Arturia was surprised at Rhynne's behavior. Her sense of chivalry prompted her to refuse, but the feel of Rhynne's bosom pressing against the side of her arm barred the refusal from leaving the tip of her tongue.
She regained her composure and stammered out, "M-mine thanks...".
"Tis thy blanket. Thou should enjoy its warmth as well." Rin withdrew her hand under the blanket and attempted to rest it on her own leg. But instead, she missed and landed on Arturia's upturned palm.
Since she did not intend to do that, she began to move her hand away.
Arturia felt Rhynne's hand on her own. Thinking that she still wanted to be warmed up, she enclosed Rhynne's hand with her both of her hands. Rhynne's hand felt so small even though they were almost the same height and build. Her chivalric nature told her that something so fragile should be protected. She
cradled it gently, like holding a delicate sculpture.
Rin felt the warmth of Arturia's hands around hers. As she gazed back at Arturia, her heart decided to beat faster. That self-conscious feeling rose again, and she broke the gaze to stare at the bottom of the rowboat.
They sat in silence in the rowboat. It was very warm under the blanket but Rin felt even warmer with Arturia's hands around hers. In fact, it reminded her of the time when Arturia held her under the blanket in the wagon. She closed her eyes to experience the memory again.
Arturia saw Rhynne's eyes close. A sense of alarm filled her when the thought entered her mind that Rhynne may be tired because of her malady. Remorse began to fill her heart. It was selfish of her to for-get. For now, she had to make do with the situation. Her hand left Rhynne's and went across her back to grasp her shoulder. Then she pulled Rhynne to her so that she could rest her head on her shoulder.
"Mine apologies. I hath awakened thee too early. Please rest a bit. I will wake thee when the time comes."
Rin was surprised when Arturia pulled her close and even more so when she thought that she was sleepy. Because she was so close to Arturia, it took a while for her to sort her thoughts. Eventually, her mind processed the words, 'when the time comes.'
"I am not sleepy." However, she made no effort to lift her head off Arturia's shoulder. It felt too nice.
"But for what shall thou wake me for?"
"Thou shall soon see. Please abide patiently until then."
Rin waited with curiosity. With her head on Arturia's shoulder and her body under the same blanket as Arturia's, Rin felt that she could wait forever and not care. They waited for about twenty minutes before Arturia spoke.
"Behold. Cast thy eyes at the horizon." Arturia gestured before her.
Rin did and saw the sky change color to herald the coming of dawn. The first rays of the sun peeped over the distant hills. As more rays escaped from behind those hills, they ran over the water of the lake, leaving sparkles on the tip of its small waves.
Rin's eyes grew in wonder as the sun rose and illuminated the lake. The lake shimmered as the sun's rays glittered on its surface. But there was a white patch on the lake that interrupted the golden tide.
She wondered what it was. As if to answer her question, the white patch stretched out wings into the sky and dispersed into the air with a flutter. Rin watched in amazement as a flock of swans rose majestically into the sky and formed a pale formation against a background of orange and blue.
"Beautiful..." thought Arturia as she watched Rhynne's varying reactions. She smiled with satisfac-tion. It was worth all that effort to bring her here.
"It's beautiful..." said Rin softly.
"Verily." Ever since the breaking of dawn, her eyes had not left Rhynne's face. Underneath the blan-ket, her hand shifted to intertwine her fingers with hers. There was slight tingle in her palm.
Rin felt Arturia's hand move. She shifted her head on Arturia's shoulder to look up at her. She did not know that she was looking at her, so her lips ended up brushing against the side of her jaw as she moved her head. She pulled away abruptly and blushed. "Mine apologies... I did not mean to..."
Arturia touched the spot on her jaw. Only an inch more and she would have grazed her lips. The image of Rhynne meeting her lips flashed in her mind. She blushed slightly and pushed the image out of her mind. She was a knight and not a wanton knave. Such thoughts were unbecoming.
She looked over at Rhynne who seemed to be in a state of panic. Technically, it was her fault for hav-ing her face so close to her head. Hopefully, Rhynne would not realize that she did so because she was looking at her. She had to divert her attention. "Be at ease. There is no need to apologize. Tis but a small matter and not worth missing God's blessing upon the world." She gestured again at the rising sun.
"Behold."
Rin turned to look at the sun. The morning haze was slowly dispersing and the sun was becoming more blinding to look at. But it did look like that the sun was slowly pushing aside the darkness. She remembered her basic catechism, and quoted, "And God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light.
And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness."
"How true..." remarked Arturia and watched the sunrise with Rhynne. They watched it until it was too bright to look at.
"Methinks that now would be a good time to have breakfast." Arturia began to move to take her seat, but Rhynne's hand on her arm stopped her.
"Allow me to help thee."
"Tis a tiring task, and may blister thy hands."
Rin held out her palm. "I already have calluses." It was true. She had formed some during all those chores.
Arturia shook her head. "I hath awakened thee too early. Please rest. I doth not wish to tire thee."
"I am not tired. Allow me to help. Please." With the best of her ability, which was not much, Rin tried to create similar puppy dog eyes that Sakura would often use on Shiro. She hoped that she did not look too silly.
Arturia blinked several times. For some reason, Rhynne's eyes had changed from her usual serious gaze to one that seemed absolutely adorable. Her heart melted at the sight and she had a sudden urge to hug her. With all the discipline at her disposal, she restrained herself.
"Oh, very well... but thou must promise not to tire thyself." Arturia put the other oar in its brace and handed her the handle.
As they rowed back to shore, Rin cursed Merlyn for whatever she said to make Arturia think that she was sickly. As soon as Merlyn gets back, she would convince her to correct Arturia's misunderstanding.
They climbed out of the rowboat and beached it. Then Arturia fetched the pack from Haut. She laid out the blanket under the shade of a tree and began to lay out their breakfast, plates and cutlery.
Breakfast composed of warm bread, butter, grapes, and strawberries. Arturia poured tea from a clay jug into small tin cups.
Arturia picked up a strawberry by its stem and held it in front of Rhynne's mouth. "Try this. Tis very sweet."
Rin's first inclination was to refuse and say that she could feed herself. But the very thought of Arturia feeding her spurred her imagination. She decided to make it a reality. She leaned forward and touched the tip of the strawberry with her lips and bit halfway into it. "Tis good!" declared Rin after she ate it.
"I am glad." said Arturia who finished the rest the strawberry.
Rin's jaw fell at the sight. She had just shared food with Arturia. In school, she had overheard many conversations of girls sharing their drink with a boy they liked. She laughed at their giddy expressions.
But now, she could laugh no more. At last, she understood.
Arturia reached for some grapes and popped them in her mouth. When she finished the last one, Rin
Arturia reached for some grapes and popped them in her mouth. When she finished the last one, Rin