Once & Forever

There was nothing but silence as Guinevere ran a brush through Katrina's hair. Though, through the mirror, Kat could see a slight smile on the maid's lips.

"Y'know, Gwen, this really isn't necessary." Kat began to turn.

"I know, but Morgana thought it would be nice to have someone help you get ready, after what you've been through." Gwen smiled more, somewhat absent-mindedly, as she kept running the brush through Katrina's almost silken hair.

"It's been more than a week." Pause. "Why do you keep smiling like that?" the mercenary finally asked, peering at Gwen's face through the mirror.

Gwen's hand faltered, and she finally stopped brushing. Though she didn't stop smiling. She began to braid Katrina's hair to the side. "I heard some of the men talking, on my way over here. Arthur is talking about training with you today."

Katrina instantly raised an eyebrow, in an arch that could challenge Gaius. "Is he now?" She waited until the braid was finished, and properly tied together. "And where can I find Arthur now?" She got to her feet, still trying to get a feel for a dress wrapping around her legs. She stepped behind her dressing wall, and began to change into her mercenary attire.

"He's probably down on the fields, training with other knights, until he send someone for you."

"Well, then I'll just go to him!" Katrina stepped out and smiled at Gwen. "Thank you, Guinevere. You're free to go, now. And tell Morgana I said thank you, as well."

The sound of swords clashing was almost like music to the blonde's ears, as she stepped down onto the field. She immediately spotted Arthur, standing to the side, with Merlin, watching his men fight on the field.

"So when were you going to tell me you wanted me to kick your ass today?" she said, with a smirk, as she reached him. He started for a moment, but then his expression quickly settled back into a stoic state.

"I was going to warm up, and then send Merlin for you." He wasn't making eye contact. Interesting. Merlin was eagerly watching, waiting.

"You couldn't tell me yourself?" She waited a moment before speaking again. "Besides, in a real fight, you don't have time to 'warm up', Pendragon." She drew her sword as she spoke. It was quickly met with his, and his blue eyes, darker than normal, like the clouds threatening to storm in the sky, raised to hers. She smirked. "Quick reflexes, good. But I think you're a little ahead of yourself, thinking you can even match me." She pulled her sword back, and swung it again, holding back slightly. Arthur's sword was quick to swing at her, but she jumped back with alarmingly quick reflexes. Her sword finally came into contact with his, knocking it from his hand.

"I can," he almost growled. "Just not when I'm caught unawares!" He picked his sword up. The field had cleared, as the knights stood by to watch the sparring match unfold in front of them.

"That's what happens in real life," she said with a laugh as she backed her way into the middle of the training field. Arthur advanced, almost lazily. She felt he was too cocky; it made her want to put him in his place. And sometimes it made her want to... She shook her head, dislodging the thought that crossed her mind - it was far too distracting. And completely inappropriate. "Imagine I'm the bandits, what would you do differently? So I don't have to go saving your royal ass, again." She was baiting him, and loving every second of it.

Arthur huffed a bit, aiming his sword for her legs, trying to knock them out from under her. She jumped, and smacked his weapon out of the way with her own.

"That's playing dirty," she murmured. Her eyes darkened. It was Arthur's turn to smirk. There was a growing tension between the two of them, as they parried and countered each other's blows. It was exhilarating; almost electric. "Now you're just fighting," her voice was low. "I thought you wanted to learn?"

"I am learning." As he spoke, Arthur's sword shoved against her chest plate, pushing her to the dewey grass under her feet. He kneeled over her, his sword poised for a fatal blow. That is what I would do differently," he spoke, with a smirk. He then stood, and helped her to her feet.

She quickly replaced her surprised expression with a smile. "Good." They walked to set their weapons down, to be sharpened and polished. "I was thinking of going for a ride. Care to join me?"

"Well, I did just kick your ass for today, I guess I could go for a ride. But, to be fair, I might kick your ass at that, too."

Katrina laughed. "To be fair, I wasn't giving that fight my all. Because I thought I was going to be training you, not earnestly fighting you."

Arthur cocked an eyebrow. "Is that so? Then I look forward to a training session where you give it all that you've got. Because that was pitiful." He grinned.

They loaded up their horses themselves. Katrina didn't even wait for Arthur to mount before she took off, barreling out of the citadel. Arthur cursed, and made way to try and catch up with her.

"You're crazy!" he yelled after her.

"That's not the worst I've been called!" she yelled back, over her shoulder, laughing. They rode on, Katrina staying ahead the entire time, even barreling over fallen longs, and trampling over underbrush like nothing was there.

They finally slowed when they reached a steady stream, deeper into the Darkling Wood than she had intended to lead them. She dismounted, and sighed in dismay - they had left their swords back at the castle. This could be a clusterfuck of a situation if-

"Bandits, get down!" Arthur practically dove on top of Katrina, and rolled her underneath the lip of the bank. She almost shouted so he clapped a gloved hand over her mouth, to silence her. She grabbed his arm to pull his hand away, but his muscles were absolutely rigid - there was no moving him.

Even after the bandits had passed by, and Arthur's hand had fallen away from her mouth, his arm was still locked around her waist. "Arthur," she murmured. "You can let me go, now." But his arm still didn't move. She suddenly feared he had lost consciousness. She quickly turned her head to see how out he was. But she found his blue hues peering down at her. "Arthur..." she repeated, in a soft, last-ditch attempt at asking him to let her go.

Their breaths mingled in the small space that was left between them. Katrina's heart was racing, and she could hear that her breath wasn't too far behind. Or was that the sound of his breathing? They sounded one, and the same. Her breath hitched a bit, and Arthur took that moment to lean in, and brush his full lips over hers. His arm loosened on her waist, but as it pulled back, his fingertips dug into her hip. She couldn't help the sound that escaped her slightly parted lips. Arthur's mouth mimicked hers, and soon she felt his tongue running over her low lip. Between that, and the feeling of his fingertips in her hip, Katrina's head was spinning.

She thought that maybe, she murmured his name somewhere in the midst of their kiss, because he was suddenly kissing her with a pent up hunger. A hunger that she, too, had felt, over the course of the past ten days - since he had brought her back to her room. No, even before that - when they were dancing. She had thought that maybe it was just her that was experiencing the unfamiliar feelings, but she now knew that the tension she had felt, had been an accumulation of both of their held back feelings.

Her hand covered his, her fingers digging into the back of his hand, approving of the pressure he was applying to her, all over. With a soft groan, he grabbed her other hip, and shifted her in his lap, so there was more contact between their bodies. But it was impossible to feel his heat through both their layers of armor, that they hadn't even bothered to remove before going riding. Her hand rested on his chest, her fingers digging up underneath his armor, almost clawing to feel more of him.

Just more.

Arthur groaned again, this time pulling away from her. "This..." he breathed out. "This is nice... But we should be heading back. We shouldn't..." That was all she needed to hear. She completely withdrew from him, and got to her feet. He looked a little stunned at the sudden coldness radiating off of her. She was on her horse before Arthur was off of the ground. "Katrina," he started, but immediately stopped himself, when he saw her expression. It was almost as cold as the look she had when she killed Balrad. He quickly mounted his horse, and they rode back in utter silence.

As soon as they arrived in the citadel, Katrina dismounted, and walked into the castle. She didn't even bother to return her horse to the stables. Arthur instructed the stable-hand to do so, as he hurried to follow her inside, to try and explain. He heard her voice down a corridor and followed it, but stopped when he heard his father.

"Are you sure?" Uther asked. He sounded slightly concerned. Arthur's heart drummed hard in his chest. Was she telling him about what Arthur had done?

"I'm positive. I appreciate everything you have done for me, Uther, but it's time for me to move on."