The Tourney at Ashford

Even though he observed the rushing river, his attention was elsewhere. His hearing attuned to the whisper of the countryside, waiting for her steps to break some sticks or rustle some old foliage on her return. Seeing her brother away was taking long but he found patience in the shimmer and buzz of the river below.

The underbrush and sticks rustle and crack obediently as the young lady, dressed a little more warmly today in the cooling temperatures, approached Kevan with a smile as bright and warm as the sun at the height of summer. "Thank you for waiting."

"Waiting is never too much of an issue if I know its purpose. My father has educated me well in patience." Kevan smiled brightly as he rose to his feet, admiring her approach in afternoon sun, her raven locks dancing on the light wind. "And I had already waited for the lady of my heart for a long time until yesterday so a few more minutes now and then don't make that much of a difference."

She reached out with her left hand to take his, hers a little cold as the temperature drops, enjoying the warmth of his fingers and palm. She reaches down with her right, pulling out a small pouch. "I promised something to you yesterday, didn't I?" She said in a gently playful tone. Like she'd forget. "Look inside. I hope you don't think it's strange." She holds it out to him.

"I am really curious now." He bit his lip, alternating his attention between the pouch and her face. Her touch was tantalising and he eagerly shared his own warmth with her through the connection, but he needed his hands to unpack the pouch, and he eagerly did so.

The pouch contains a small lock of her hair, carefully braided and tied at both ends, so it won't come loose. She glances down a little bit, blue eyes looking up through dark lashes to see his reaction. "I found myself thinking that there will be times where we will have to be apart for one reason or another. So... maybe it would be a comfort to have a small part of me with you wherever you go."

His fingertips ever so gently stroked the lock, then he pulled the strap to close the pouch. Keeping it, he unbuttoned the top of his jacket and shirt with one hand, then strapped the pouch around his neck, making it land on his chest, then pushed it slightly to the left of it to rest there before he buttoned up. "Thank you, Arwyn. This way you'll always be where you belong, no matter what distance will be keeping us apart." He reached out to stroke the frame of her face with the back of his fingers. "There is no greater gift for me than even the smallest bit of your presence."

It warmed her heart to see him strap the pouch around his neck, seeing where it lay over his heart. And her eyes followed a little bit as he unbuttoned his shirt and jacket a little to do so. She was a late teenager, her interest wasn't solely in a romantic ideal, and he had told her to be true to herself when they were together. She smiled with a light coloring of her cheeks, her hand coming up to touch over where the pouch rested. "Always by your heart," she said, looking up as he stroked her cheek with a smile. "I'm glad you like it."

"It's you." He said with plain conviction like it explained everything, then covered her hand resting on his chest with his, caressing it idly concurrently with the soft touch along her jaw. His affectionate gaze was not purely platonic either, though Arwyn was the first woman who held his chivalrous feelings and his desires in relative if not entirely steady balance. "Though I won't deny I'd like more of you by my heart than a lock. Like right now." He gently squeezed her palm on his chest, revelling in its electrifying coolness.

She stepped closer, as close as she could without moving her hand from the spot on his chest, looking up at him."I'd like to be by your side whenever possible," she smiles a little. "Marqus is willing to put in a recommendation to Father, even."

"And I by yours... We've figured out we could be great brothers-in-law, Marqus and I." Kevan chuckled, moving her hand from his chest to his shoulder as it became an impediment for them to get closer. His one hand moved to her nape and the other around her waist as he crossed the distance between them, pulling their bodies together. "This is one way for us to be close to each other's hearts..." He leaned in for a kiss, the memory of past evening driving him to seek her sweet lips again.

"Have you now?" She asked, both curious and playful, smiling as she stepped up against him. She closed her eyes, finding his lips, soft on hers in contrast with the calloused hand on the nap of her neck. Her other hand found his upper arm, resting there. The combination of sensations sent a small shiver through her, and when they finally parted, she smiled. "I.. really hope our parents approve of this match..."

Even as their lips parted, he kept their bodies together, having their own undulating conversation of breathing through the layers of fabric. "I won't rely solely on hope with this, Arwyn, I have promised you my utmost. If we found my father reluctant I will find a way to convince him. My heart knows you should be my beloved wife, no-one else. And I think the Gods are on our side." He spoke confidently, his bright gaze radiating conviction, reassurance and love.

"I fully intend to do the same," she agreed with a smile, ice blue eyes meeting his surely. The warmth of his body was comforting in the quickly cooking air of the early spring, as the afternoon started making its way ponderously into evening. She leaned forward, her head resting comfortably on his chest. "Looks like we may be having a little resurgence of winter tonight..."

"Why don't I feel it?" He teased good-heartedly, pulling her just a little closer to have her in his embrace and stroke her hair gently as she was leaning into him. "Is it the wine?" His nose and lips nuzzled gently in the raven hair. "How fortunate I might have just the best expert within reach to tell me how to handle a sudden surge of winter."

"Hmm... maybe... There might be other reasons, though," she suggests with a little laugh, playfully nipping at the fabric of his jacket. He couldn't feel her teeth of course, with the letter, but it was easy to tell what she was doing. Still, she hummed happily when he nuzzles her hair. "Well, unfortunately, the best ways aren't really open to us for now."

"Good I am not the only one thinking about what's best for us." His lips found the topmost tip of her earlobe amid her hair and nipped it gently. "Even if it's not something we can do now. What remains is more wine, and perhaps doing what we're doing now by a small fire?"

"Mm," she hums in agreement, pushing back to smile up toward him. If she continued letting him have free reign of her ear, even her legendary stubbornness was put at a little risk. "And warm clothing, of course," she said. "You might be surprised how many stories there are of men are found in the winter cold with nary a stitch, their winter furs right nearby."

"The Reach is not as big a fur culture as the North, but if it comes for me to travel to your lands with you in a harsher season, I will seek your advice what and how to wear." He bit his lip to stem the sensation and the urge. If he had continued on her ear he may have lost some self-restraint either. He glanced toward the Cockleswent. "I also heard stories about how cold resistant the Northerners are, like the make holes in ice on rivers in winter and bathe inside."

"I can imagine... winters must be less severe down here, and farther south where you live," she replied, shifting so that she was leaning up against his side - a decidedly less dangerous position.

"You must be right, comparatively. In the Reach we do tend to wear light clothes overall, though not as light as the Dornish." He mused, taking a deep breath to calm himself out of the thoughts of taking some superfluous layers off Arwyn. "Shall I make a small campfire?"

"I can only guess how light someone used to the cold of the North will have to dress," she muses with a soft chuckle. "The last few days have felt positively warm to me."

"If you'd like... it's not too cold yet, but the wood nearby might be mostly dry by now."

"Being embraced with you and holding hands by the fire feels like the next best thing." He smirked, taking a deep breath of the scent of her hair, though stopping short of nuzzling. "Will you help me out or wait here?"

"Of course I'll help," she replied with a smile brightly.

He leaned over to peck her lips gently and then released his embrace to start gathering loose sprigs and crocked wood from around their picnic site. Every now and then he sought her out with an affectionate smile. "So, what do you like doing in winter, to pass the time?"