Rose sits beside her king, her face calm and lips curved into a smile that Dave can see right through. She laughs at the right moments and she says what everyone expects her to say, the object of perfect womanly grace, a perfect queen. An amethyst stone around her neck bobs when she swallows a sips of red wine and Dave imagines his lips on that warm neck, wanting but not allowed to mark her as his. She is more than a perfect queen to Dave.
Dave reluctantly tears his eyes away and takes a drink of his own, trying to fix his mind on something else.
The unexpected foul taste of his drink makes him gag and it's all he can do to stop himself from spitting the liquid back out and succumbing to a coughing fit. Around him, his fellow knights burst into laughter, especially his best friend John who sits across the table, simply cackling.
"What have you done to my drink, Egbert?" Dave demands once he's cleared his throat.
"A magician never reveals his secret, Dave." John giggles. Dave wonders how such a goof made his way up to the Kingsguard.
"You're not a magician," Dave gripes as he steals John's drink instead and washes the taste out of his mouth. It's good wine when it hasn't been tampered with, at least. Only the best on the name day of the young prince.
John shrugs and gets himself a new drink. "You seem distracted," he states, voice lower and more serious now. Their fellow knights have found new conversation and aren't paying attention. "Is something wrong?"
Dave shakes his head. Nothing is wrong and he can't tell John his real reason for being distracted. He can't help but glance in Rose's direction just at the thought of her, she's laughing and he hones in on the sound of it, pinpointing it despite the rambunctious noise of the dining hall around them. If anything is wrong, Dave thinks, it's that he and Rose had to have been born brother and sister instead of from separate highborn families, but even then, he can't fathom the idea of not knowing her as closely and intimately as he does now, thanks to growing up as her twin, as her male counterpart.
"Just being cautious. That's kind of our job, you know," Dave teases, training his eyes back on his friend.
John thankfully lets it go and the rest of the evening is just another typical celebratory gathering in the Red Keep. The food is plentiful and the drinks go around but Dave looks forward to the end of it all. He isn't interested in the same things as the rest of the court and he spends most of the evening avoiding looking at Rose so much that it raises suspicion. They have to be careful with their secret, especially when it's the King Rose must go to bed with at night.
He gets away with visiting Rose's private chambers so late and so in private only because they are brother and sister.
"Brother dear," Rose greets accordingly when she lets him in. There's a hint of a smile on her face, a teasing smile.
"My queen," Dave replies, holding her gaze before leaning close and kissing her lips. "The king?" he asks when they break away a moment later.
"In a deep, drunken stupor," Rose confirms, "as soon as he got into bed."
"Fancy that, sister," Dave says. "How about I give you a hand out of that bodice?"
FILL: TEAM DIRK<>ROXY
Dave reluctantly tears his eyes away and takes a drink of his own, trying to fix his mind on something else.
The unexpected foul taste of his drink makes him gag and it's all he can do to stop himself from spitting the liquid back out and succumbing to a coughing fit. Around him, his fellow knights burst into laughter, especially his best friend John who sits across the table, simply cackling.
"What have you done to my drink, Egbert?" Dave demands once he's cleared his throat.
"A magician never reveals his secret, Dave." John giggles. Dave wonders how such a goof made his way up to the Kingsguard.
"You're not a magician," Dave gripes as he steals John's drink instead and washes the taste out of his mouth. It's good wine when it hasn't been tampered with, at least. Only the best on the name day of the young prince.
John shrugs and gets himself a new drink. "You seem distracted," he states, voice lower and more serious now. Their fellow knights have found new conversation and aren't paying attention. "Is something wrong?"
Dave shakes his head. Nothing is wrong and he can't tell John his real reason for being distracted. He can't help but glance in Rose's direction just at the thought of her, she's laughing and he hones in on the sound of it, pinpointing it despite the rambunctious noise of the dining hall around them. If anything is wrong, Dave thinks, it's that he and Rose had to have been born brother and sister instead of from separate highborn families, but even then, he can't fathom the idea of not knowing her as closely and intimately as he does now, thanks to growing up as her twin, as her male counterpart.
"Just being cautious. That's kind of our job, you know," Dave teases, training his eyes back on his friend.
John thankfully lets it go and the rest of the evening is just another typical celebratory gathering in the Red Keep. The food is plentiful and the drinks go around but Dave looks forward to the end of it all. He isn't interested in the same things as the rest of the court and he spends most of the evening avoiding looking at Rose so much that it raises suspicion. They have to be careful with their secret, especially when it's the King Rose must go to bed with at night.
He gets away with visiting Rose's private chambers so late and so in private only because they are brother and sister.
"Brother dear," Rose greets accordingly when she lets him in. There's a hint of a smile on her face, a teasing smile.
"My queen," Dave replies, holding her gaze before leaning close and kissing her lips. "The king?" he asks when they break away a moment later.
"In a deep, drunken stupor," Rose confirms, "as soon as he got into bed."
"Fancy that, sister," Dave says. "How about I give you a hand out of that bodice?"
"I thought you'd never ask."