Easily

The ugly looking clouds disperse over the afternoon and Sir Broderick decides to change the route. Instead of camping outside, you will ride for a little longer and get an accommodation in the nearest small town. He thinks it's still good to feed the new cover story to strangers, in order for the rumours to spread as a distraction from the real purpose of the mission.

It's hot and the party is moving at a lazily pace. You are starting to get a bit bored, kicking up your skirt just to keep you somehow occupied.

"Could you stop, milady? Just that you happen to hit my back every time." Broderick says in a slightly annoyed voice. You stop the kicking, but after a while start drumming your fingers on his leather covered chest. He sighs.

"Mia, stop it." he says, but the tone is hardly threatening and you seem to like being called
Mia much better than "milady" anyway.

"Make me, Broderick." you test the waters, hoping there is no spanking for girls that omit the official titles of their protectors. Fast as a snake he catches with one of his hands both of yours. You try to wiggle out of his grip, but it seems impossible. As you try with all of your strength, he just lets your hands go and you lose your balance. You would fall of the horse if he, with the same lightning speed, didn't grab you by the waist.

Alo, did...did he just smile? It might have been your bored mind playing tricks, but you can swear you saw his cheeks move in that way. Still, a miracle of such magnitude would have to be seen properly from the front.

"Jerk." you say, after letting out an ear-piercing shrill when you thought you're gonna fall to the ground. Again, his face moves in what you believe to be a sign of amusement. "Maybe, if you talked to me at all, I wouldn't be so bored." you say.

"Well, what do you want to talk about, Mia?" Broderick asks, your horse now moving up a rather steep hill, the progress is glacial. You rest your chin on his back and think for a bit. "Mmmmmmm....you" you say, wondering how much is he willing to let you know about himself outside this mission.

"You should start playing with your skirt again, that's the most boring topic ever" he says, You choose to ignore that and start firing questions.

"Are you married?"

"No."

"Engaged?"

"No."

"Not even a little bit?"

"What does that even mean?"

You ask him about his career and about his live in the keep. After a while you are both exchanging stories about the weird noblemen and generals you've met and you can't help but laugh. You both seem to find the royal life ridiculous, even if from different points of view. You talk the whole way and don't even notice you are approaching the town you are going to sleep over in tonight. The afternoon turns into an evening seemingly in a blink of an eye.

After your arrival to a rather pleasant if poor little settlement of farmers and few pub owners, the party spreads out to different houses for the night. You and Broderick are the last ones to get rooms, in an inn near a surprisingly clean river. Your rooms are opposite each other. "Guess this is good night, Mia" Broderick says after paying for the night and listening to the innkeepers few dirty remarks.

"Guess it is, Captain" you say, opening the doors to your room.

"What happened to Broderick?" he asks you and you hear a slight trace of disappointment in his voice.

You just wave at him and close the door behind you. Your heart is pounding and your head is feeling several kinds of dizziness. You change into a much simpler and more comfortable reddish dress. It's more of a sleeping thing, as it's cut off just under your butt, nothing to go out in public in. You sit on the bed, but feel extremely restless.