Dunk played rugby in secondary school, played in regional championships, even made Region All-Stars one year--and he's still a huge fan of the sport. So you (his girlfriend) want to learn about it, cos you know it makes him happy when you take an interest in his stuff.
After he thoroughly explains the rules and you can actually understand what's going on, you kinda like it (but mostly cos he does and cos he has such happy memories about it). You save up for several weeks until you can get him a custom rugby shirt of his favorite team. 'Dunk' and the number 1 on the back. Originally, you planned to save it for a holiday gift, but you were just too damned excited about it and gave in and presented it to him sooner. Just because🥰🥰
The first time you stole it to wear, he was completely gobsmacked. 'Baby girl, that/those colors/s really suit you', and he gets pretty frisky, kinda faux chases you around the sofa, etc, while you're giggling the whole time. Once he corners you, he puts you over his shoulder and takes you to the bedroom. You're still laughing, even as he drops you onto the bed. When you make to take it off, he says, 'Nah, leave it on, sweet girl. I'd like to have you in it.' And you do, and he does. Right there atop the counterpane.
And later, he sets it aside instead of putting it in the hamper, cos he knows it'll still bear the scent of your skin the next time he wears it.
once things start to get serious, you get a text every day, without fail, consisting of some short piece of classic romantic poetry or prose. you know, of course, that dunk hasn't read most of the sources himself, but you certainly don't fault him for doing whatever online search he can to find them. much of the time, the quoted pieces he sends are familiar to you, though a surprise coming from him. you never know just when to expect those special texts, either; could be morning, noon, or night, or any time in between. and on the days he won't be seeing you at all (perish the thought!), he sends an extra one, sure to reach you just before you go to sleep for the night.
It's Raymun who gets Dunk into Dungeons and Dragons. Invites him over a couple of times when it's his week to host. Rowan is nice enough to fix up plenty of snacks for the players but usually flees their flat before everyone arrives, for a girls' night out. And though they semi-rotate Dragon Masters depending on the adventure, Adam 'Steely' Pate fills that role most often.
So Dunk joins in, still keeping the secret of his adventures in Westeros to himself. Having already played a knight in that other reality, he decides to make his character a Ranger. He takes to the game like a duck to water. About a month in, it's his turn to host, but his sweetheart (OC), a true theater kid at heart (and fellow traveler to Westeros) sticks around, because D&D is right up her alley--and because she knows Dunk is having a blast, and that makes her happy. Of course, it isn't long until she creates her own character. A Bard, sort of echoing what she does for a living in real life.
Once Rowan sees how much fun Dunk's girl is having, she joins in as well.
my Modern Au Dunk fics: You're a Shooting Star (wip) When Wishes Come True 'making plans'
a sequel of sorts to When Wishes Come True, in the Nerd!Dunk AU You're a Shooting Star
header by the amazing gif Artist & my personal Peter Claffey supplier @kwistowee 💙🩵
Duncan x Vicki ~ making plans
November 1st. It was true autumn now, and something about the dark gray of the early morning sky outside their bedroom window just encouraged them to snuggle more deeply beneath the counterpane. Besides which, it was Saturday, meaning a day off for Dunk from work and classes, while Vicki had nowhere she needed to be, as the Faire had officially closed for the season. In the way of young lovers, they found the warmth they shared under the covers, drowsy and addictive enough for them to put off breakfast for hours. Time they saw fit to fill with lazy lovemaking and quiet conversation.
Tucked into his shoulder had become her favorite resting place. She hummed with dozy satisfaction as she kissed his skin, then snaked her left hand above the blankets to ponder the newly minted weight upon her finger. Modest but perfect to Vicki's eyes, the ring was very much a reflection of how they loved one another. Simple, forthright, enduringly so, and as bright as a wishing star set in a dark velvet sky. "Would close to Christmas be too soon for you? It's the loveliest time of year, and I've always fancied it for a wedding."
He thought about it for only a moment or two. "Could you plan it all so quickly?"
"It doesn't need to be fancy, Dunk," she answered, "Just my nearest family and our closest friends. And a little party afterwards at the pub."
"If that would make you happy, baby girl, that's fine with me," he told her, tightening his embrace, as though he could actually hold her any closer.
"Hmmmmm," she practically purred. Vicki could read her Duncan like her most well-loved books, and knew what came next upon this page. Best to settle the question now before they were both too distracted in reading one another. "The Friday or Saturday before Christmas, then?"
"As you wish, love," he rumbled, capturing her hand, warming her skin with his breath, then pressing a kiss to her palm. Oh, such a blessed distraction...
As he turned onto his side to face her, a fleeting thought crossed her mind, and Vicki giggled. "What? What's that for," he demanded, trying his best to sound stern and failing utterly.
"Nothing," she told him, but then giggled some more.
"Baby, you're gonna need to tell me now, or I won't be able to...
"Concentrate..." she teased him.
"Ohhhhh," he chuckled, "You know I'll manage just fine...but please don't keep me wondering."
She was smiling against his skin, laying dedicated kisses upon the whisker-rough column of his throat, sighing while she acquiesced. "If you really must know then..."
"V...baby, please..." She loved when this sort of impatience got the better of him.
"I was just thinking that now..." The press of his body against hers--all warm, musky flesh and firm, unyielding muscle--was pushing most rational thought from her mind. "...now...now might be the time that you...that you..."
"Ahhhhh..." The throatiness of his laugh evoked the deepest heat in her belly. "I know what you're thinking, V."
And why shouldn't he know? They'd already discussed it before he'd even given her the ring. "Maybe now...right now, Duncan, my dearest...my dearest love..."
"Yes, love, yes," he murmured, moving her onto her back and hovering above her, "You know I'd deny you nothing..."
What a breathtaking moment it was! This beautiful man...this beautiful soul of a man, who'd already proven he'd give her the moon and the stars if she asked him to, making her weak yet again. Weak with wanting to share every possible good thing with him, saying yes. Yes, now. To even this. "Make a baby with me, now?"
Duncan didn't even blink. He just nodded and smiled that sweet, shy smile that had been one of the first things about him that had made her fall so hard and so fast in love with him. In the semi-darkness of their bedroom, his pupils were blown large, leaving only bare rims of his extraordinarily blue irises. Boy or girl, Vicki briefly mused, our baby's eyes will be blue, because we're both blue-eyed. But he...or she...will be especially blessed to have his eyes...
"My sweet, sweet girl," he vowed softly, brushing his lips to hers, then pulling back only enough so they could see one another properly, "I'm gonna try my damnedest." His let his mouth hang open--a tease, he knew, that never failed to make her melt--then promised further, "And try...and try...and try again. Until it takes."
Vicki giggled once more--amazed at how she spent so much time laughing now, from the joy he'd brought to her life--until he silenced her with a kiss proving his dedication to that promise. They had countless hours ahead, and in this as in all things, Dunk was a man of his word.
So, I guess this is a series now because these two are so adorable to me (and at least to @kwistowee 🥰) that I can't stop writing them. Between When Wishes Come True and this little piece, there's Raymun & Rowan's Wedding to write and Duncan's proposal--even while I still have to write Dunk and Vicki's return from Westeros to home again. I'd love to hear any comments y'all may have...and please, if you enjoyed this, or simply enjoy the unapologetically Romantic, give this post a reblog. Thank you kindly!🦋
Duncan x Vicki (OC), based on You're a Shooting Star AU
romance, tooth-rotting fluff, Dunk is a happy, happy man, loving & being loved by the 'nice girl' he had wished for
Bus is running a little late cuz of traffic, babe. But I should be there soon.
No prob., she texted back, I'm yours for the whole afternoon, D. The rest of the day, too. Vicki hit send, then raised her face to soak in the warmth of the sunshine on a day that seemed the wondrous epitome of late summer in London. And I'm here for the rest of my life, if you'll have me, Duncan, she was thinking. Just say the word...
The past three months had been the most unexpectedly happiest she'd ever known. And Dunk's too, as he told her every other day. They had kept the secret of how they'd met diligently; by tacit agreement, their belief to share it with even their closest friends would somehow impinge on the magic that had brought them together.
Raymun had been the first to ask, on the night that Dunk had brought her to meet his best friend and his fiance at their favorite pub. Vicki and Dunk had just looked at each other and she'd blushed just to simply remember again, while Dunk answered, still gazing at her in that way that made her glad to know his flat wasn't too far away. "At the Renaissance Faire, bruh. She was playing Like a Prayer on her...lute." He had raised her hand to kiss just her fingertips, and she had shivered at the sense memory of the first time he'd done that. "Couldn't take my eyes off of her."
"Oooooooo, he's got it bad for you, girl," Rowan had laughed, "Way to go, Dunk!"
"Yeah, well, it took me a while to get here, Ro--but this part of my life has been absolutely worth waiting for." Dunk grabbed his glass to drink, licking the foam from his upper lip as he set it back down.
"Let's drink to that," Raymun proposed, lifting his own glass while tucking his arm around Rowan. "To waiting for the right girl!". The boys had clinked glasses and downed their beers, and the rest of the evening had played out like a marvelous dream, not the first, but like so many that she and her Duncan had lived since their return from the impossible world of Westeros.
A sudden shadow blotted out the sun. "A copper for your thoughts, baby girl," Dunk rumbled, standing above her, and Vicki couldn't help popping up from the bus stop bench to throw her arms around him. Well, almost. His chest was so broad, there were times she couldn't quite close that circle. Not that it mattered. His warmth, his solidity, and how he always went soft for her in all the right places (and so hard in the others that she would get weak-knee'd just thinking about it) was all that mattered. And that he loved her. Her Duncan. The sweetest, kindest man she'd ever known.
He laid a soft, lingering kiss on the crown of her head before wrapping his arms around her. "You ready, babe?"
"Ready and willing," she sighed, her head resting against his chest while she breathed in his good, manly scent. Beneath his clean, fresh aftershave was the pure musk of Dunk--a man who worked hard and when the chance arose, played harder. She'd given up trying to figure out how even the subtle scent of his sweat turned her on; like so much between them, since the moment they'd met, Vicki had learned just trusting her feelings was key to the happiness they shared. "Sooooo...what's the big secret? Why did I have to take this particular afternoon off?
"Picnic," he grinned, taking one arm from embracing her to point to the cooler with a rolled blanket bungee'd on top, sitting on the sidewalk at his feet.
"Oh. In your little park across the street." She nodded her approval. "I should've guessed when you said to meet you in front of your old building."
"Yup." The blue of his eyes in the August sunlight was breathtaking. Distracting. Utterly enchanting. Vicki had told him so a time or two, practically gushing at how gorgeous they were, but Dunk always shook such compliments off, telling her she only thought so because she loved him. And then seeking to change the subject as though thinking himself beautiful in any way was simply ridiculous. "My little park. My elm tree."
Grateful tears prickled her eyes, but Vicki vowed not to give in to them this time. She flattered herself to believe he had already shared nearly all the quiet, desperate details of his life before the wishing stars. She knew what that tree had meant to him, and how without it, he might have missed the shooting stars altogether, which in turn had given them one another. Her heart was too full to speak just yet.
Dunk simply smiled. "I know, baby girl," he assured her, the gentle depth of his voice the most soothing sound in the world. "I know. And I love you, too. More than I could ever describe."
"Right," she nodded up at him, her smile her whole truth. He bent to kiss away the little tear that traced a path down her cheek despite her best intention. "We'll, I'm hungry, Duncan. So, you better have packed something extra scrumptious in that cooler."
"Only your favorites," he chuckled, slipping his arm around her back and taking the handle of the wheeled cooler in hand. Vicki eased her arm around his waist while they waited for traffic to clear, and together they crossed the street into the cool shade of the neighborhood park.
"Is this a new dress," Dunk asked, popping a grape in his mouth before reaching to right the strap that had slipped down from her shoulder. Vicki bit her lip as he let his fingers linger there. She was warm enough from the weather, though his touch was always warmer. And even his slightest touch was apt to make her shiver. Dunk knew it too, which was surely why he missed no opportunity to do so.
"Yes," she smirked, batting her lashes prettily. Vicki knew, of course, that she needn't play the coquette for him--but oh what fun they had when she did. "Last weekend's tips were a wealth I never expected. So, I thought I'd treat myself..."
"And treat me too?"
"Duncan...don't tease me like that," she giggled, "It's really nothing special."
Dunk leaned a bit closer, not wishing the other park visitors in earshot to hear him. "On the prettiest girl in London it is..." From any other guy in her past, such a compliment had only ever been a means to an end. But from her Duncan, a man of so few words? She'd learned he meant every word he ever said. "Besides which," he murmured, "You could be sitting here starkers, and I couldn't find you any more beautiful."
"Don't you just wish!"
Dunk nodded enthusiastically. "Every damn day, V," he growled, moving in for the kill, taking her face in both hands, "And twice on Sundays." Kissing her breathless, bending her to his will, so that she slipped her arms around his neck and softly moaned into his mouth.
When they finally parted--and only for each to catch their breath--she had to whisper against his lips. "You are such a wicked man sometimes, Duncan Dunne. You do realize there are children about, don't you?"
"Only doing what comes naturally, baby girl." He nipped at her lower lip. "Let their mums cover their eyes a while..."
Vicki tapped his chest, a half-hearted attempt to push him away. "I don't fancy getting kicked out of this park for indecent behavior, Dunk. Please...please behave."
"Alright...alright," he sighed heavily, turning to look at the remains of their feast. "Did you get enough to eat?"
"Uh-huh." Vicki had actually finished at least a quarter hour ago, and then had simply sat back and enjoyed watching Dunk feast on. They had laid the blanket in the shade of his elm tree, which seemed to Vicki the most perfect spot in this world--and a beautiful echo of the tree back in Westeros, under which they'd made love the very first time.
For this picnic, he had provided many of her favorites; chocolate croissants, honeyed almonds, sliced apples and red grapes with brie. Dunk had never had brie until she had introduced him to it, and was like to finish off a full wheel himself if left unchecked. He had also included a loaf of fresh French bread with a small pot of herbed butter, elderberry jam, a bacon & apple jam (Vicki had never heard of such, but when the clerk had suggested it, Dunk had asked for a sample and had loved it), and three kinds of gourmet crackers. "I would've got that wine you like best, too," he had told her as he unpacked their bounty, "But not to drink in a public park." Instead, he provided them a bottle of white grape juice. And for dessert? Several Jersey Wonders from a bakery just down the road, reminiscent of the fried bread they'd shared at the tourney on the night they met.
Together, they began to tidy up the remains of their picnic. "Could you hand me the cooler, V?"
"Yeah, sure...hold on." She scooted over and grabbed it, hearing a quiet thunk of something smallish inside. "Sounds like we missed something when we unpacked the cooler, Dunk."
"No, I don't think so. I unpacked every morsel of food." He was trying hard not to smile, but the man did not have anything like a poker face. "You wanna look inside, V?"
Vicki shook the cooler--gently--and then shook her head. " You sneaky, sunuva..." she reached in and pulled out a blue velvet box tied with a white satin ribbon, "What is this, Duncan?"
He'd adopted the most innocent expression on his face, shrugging, "Open it and see."
"Duncan...really?"
"It's okay, baby girl," he prompted her with a growing grin. "It's just a little thing."
Oh my giddy aunt, thank heavens, she was thinking, because even if I've thought about forever, it's way too soon to really go there. Still, Vicki's hands were shaking as she untied the ribbon. "Oh my," she breathed softly, then covered her mouth with a shaky hand. Just this once, she didn't want to cry like a little fool. "Oh, Duncan," she exclaimed at last, "It's perfect...and perfectly lovely! Come and help me put it on?"
A thin gold chain lay inside the box, with a single charm affixed. A golden star with a wee green stone at its center. Like a wishing star...like a shooting star with a bright green tail.
Dunk, whose fingers were usually clumsy and too thick for something so fine, carefully removed the chain from its place and moved behind her to set the clasp. Vicki held her hair up, allowing him to drape it round her neck. When finished, he slid his arms around her from behind. He placed his mouth against her ear. "That's why it had to be this afternoon, you see. Because it's three whole months in our world since we met..."
Was Vicki crying? Of course she was. But he had already proven time and again that this was one of the qualities that had drawn him to her in the first place. That try as she might, she could never really hide her heart. Not from him. Any more than he would ever try to hide his from her. I have to be the luckiest woman alive, she realized--and turned her face in profile to her man.
It was as if he read her mind. "We got so lucky, Vicki. Our dearest wishes really came true." Dunk tightened his embrace, overcoming her with his warmth. "But I'm the luckier one. Because I've found my guiding star, and my whole world is better now. Because of you."
This brief piece was based on an Ask from a lovely Mutual who has always supported me & my work. Always encouraged me to write, and was ever understanding during the long, dark days when I was hopelessly stranded in writer's block. I hope you enjoy this @bakerstreethound ~ I know I missed the piggyback ride, but Dunk & Vicki's adventures in Westeros aren't done yet, so it could turn up there. And I know this one seems to end abruptly; I may go back and add a more finished ending sometime soon. Lots of love to you, my friend!🥰🥰
Dunk, having been isekai'd from London 2026 to the heart of Westeros, feels honor bound to attempt a deadly task to preserve the real Ser Duncan's place & spotless reputation. Egg helps as best he can, of course ~ along with a woman from his own world, who wished upon the same shooting stars that landed him there to begin with. Angst. Yearning. First kisses. Wish fulfillment...if he survives. G rated...for now. 7.9k words
header by my peter claffey supplier & most excellent gif creator @kwistowee dividers by @saradika-graphics
Chapter Six
"...I don't want to be in any world where you're not..."
Dunk was riding the edge of panic, his mind running pell-mell through every instruction that Vicki and Egg had given him. And then she had kissed his cheek and his skin there seemed to tingle and for a couple moments he sort of forgot how to breathe. How to do anything, really. How to mount Thunder; how to spur him to gallop when the time came. His reality had suddenly shrunk down to just the two of them again, and there were tears in her eyes as she implored him not to leave her alone in this, or any, world.
Of course he wouldn't do that to her. He needed to survive if just to make sure she'd never have to cry on his account ever again. To keep her safe. And to show her how she made him feel. No one, not a soul, had ever cared so deeply about him, and he had to endure so that even if they never made it home, they'd still have each other to count on. To maybe even...maybe even love.
Bruh, get your shite together, he told himself grimly. This is as real as it gets. You wished for a chance to prove yourself, and the universe answered, and you will not back down from it now. For your own honor as much as for Ser Duncan's. And for a future where you're not always doomed to be alone. More determined than he'd ever been over anything in his life, Dunk took his place astride Thunder, and Egg handed over his shield and helm. He'd worn the helmet briefly when practicing with Thunder the afternoon before, so he'd been prepared for the limited range of sight and had adjusted to the sense of claustrophobia it instilled. The weight of his shield felt familiar enough, and the lance itself was less unwieldy than Dunk had expected. He took one last look at Vicki just as the horn sounded, dug his heels into Thunder's sides, and was off like a shot.
The crowd roared the moment Thunder charged into their sight, but the blood pounding in Dunk's ears, combined with the steel enclosing his head, muted the sound enough to not distract him--though somehow he could still feel it in his chest, spurring him on just as he had spurred the warhorse beneath him. His line of vision was severely limited, yet it was enough for him to see that something vital was missing from his sight. There should be a horse and rider bearing down on him with brutal force, but Dunk couldn't see them. He'd already ridden past the halfway point in his lane, yet there rode no opponent contending against him. He knew from the games and movies he'd seen back home, and from the tilts he had witnessed on his first day here, that there was always two knights in a joust--and Egg had made no reference to expect anything different. So where was this Ser Rathaway that the real Ser Duncan had challenged? Was there something more expected of him before the battle truly commenced?
He was running out of lane, and Dunk made the only decision he could. He could hear Vicki's voice drilling him on how to slow his horse down. "It boils down to those three simple things," she had told him, "Seat. Legs. Hands. Your instinct will be to tighten your legs and pull hard on the reins, but you need to do the opposite. If the way horses are trained here is anything like they are back home--and they must be, because Chestnut responded exactly as I expected--those cues will be enough to slow Thunder's pace and eventually get him to stop." As he'd practiced, Dunk shifted his weight back, relaxed his legs just a bit, and applied a light backward rein, and sure enough, Thunder gradually halted once they'd reached the champions end of the lane. Yet still, he saw no sign of the missing knight or his squire, or any of the retinue that usually attended the wealthy, landed knights. He reined his horse to turn and face the challengers end, confused and uncertain of what to expect next.
The cheers of the crowd had become disjointed rumbles of disappointment and outright angry jeers. Not directed at Dunk, as far of he could discern, but there was a harsh feel of hostility about it. But what happens next, he was wondering, and what the hell am I supposed to do now? He could see Egg and Vicki still standing where he'd left them, both waving at him with arms held high. He gently prompted Thunder into taking a few steps forward--evoking cheers from the spectators--and both of them broke into a run towards him. For good or for ill, Dunk decided to meet them in the middle.
"Egg, what does this mean?" Dunk had to raise his voice enough so that the boy would be able to hear him over the din of the smallfolk. "Is there something I've missed?"
"I'm not sure, Ser," Egg shrugged, then held out his hands to take Dunk's lance. "It could be a forfeit, but usually they send a page or a squire to the Herald of the Joust to make it official."
All three of them turned to the dais reserved for the nobility and their guests, and indeed they saw a man wearing the Rathaway colors in deep conversation with the Herald. Dunk removed his stifling helm, gasping in a lungful of fresh, cooler air, handed it to Vicki, and finally dismounted. At that same time, the Herald blew a long note on his horn, which brought the crowd to a quick, expectant silence.
"Winner of today's first tilt, Ser Duncan the Tall!" The herald paused while the crowd hooted their approval. "Victory by forfeit over Ser Silas Rathaway."
The smallfolk began to chant 'Ser Duncan' over and over, and all Dunk wanted to do at that moment was melt right into the ground at his feet. He'd done nothing to earn their approval and certainly didn't feel that he deserved such adulation. His ears and cheeks felt the hottest they'd been since he'd woken up in this impossible place. "Is this...is this normal, Egg? All I did was ride a horse into an empty arena..."
"You're still a champion to them, Ser," he replied matter of factly. "And I think maybe it's also on account of the lives you saved when you stopped that runaway wheelhouse from rolling over those folks," Egg suggested.
But that wasn't me, Dunk started to say, then realized that wouldn't make sense to the boy.
Vicki laid her hand on his arm. "Just go with it, Duncan," she advised quietly, "It's all for the real knight's sake anyway."
"Right," he nodded, giving her a small smile, "Thanks, V."
"My pleasure, Ser." The brightness of her eyes had him daring to believe they shone just for him. "Always, Duncan," she added softly enough so that Egg didn't hear it, "Whatever you need."
"Ser," Egg tugged his other arm, then pointed to two figures approaching them, leading a stately looking blue roan. The horse was saddled and armored, and bore two large, full-looking sacks hanging down on either side of it's saddle. Egg gave a low whistle,"This is breaking with tradition..."
"What is?"
"Presenting you with his arms, right here on the field of your victory..."
Vicki gasped softly. "Right! I'd forgotten that was even a thing. We don't do that at the Eynsford Faire."
Dunk was looking back and forth between them, clearly in the dark. "I'm sorry, but can one of you tell me what's going on?"
"You've really forgotten this too, Ser?
Dunk wondered how much longer the kid would accept a concussion as a valid excuse for the huge gaps in 'Ser Duncan's' knowledge. "Humor me, would'ja, Egg? I'm as honestly frustrated about this as you are."
"The man wearing the sling is Ser Rathaway, and I'm guessing the boy with him is his squire," Egg explained patiently. "And you'll have the choice between seizing his horse and his armor, or collecting a ransom from him equal to their value."
Dunk shook his head. "No. No, that can't be fair, let alone right. I mean, look at him. He wouldn't have been able to lift a lance with an injury like that. Or even fight by sword. I can't...I won't do that to him. It'd be the same as kicking a man when he's down." He turned to Vicki, "You know what I mean, right?"
"Yes," she nodded, "Yes, you know I do." She laid her hand over his heart. "Follow your instinct, Duncan. Do just what your heart tells you to do."
"She's right, Ser," Egg concurred. "As much as we could use the coin, it's your choice to make. You wouldn't be the first Knight to show mercy to your opponent."
Dunk would've liked to be able to ask the squire exactly what Ser Duncan would do in these circumstances, which was impossible. But based on the things he'd learned about him, his gut told him the the real knight would reject such an effortless win just as Dunk would himself. "Mercy it is then." The decision made, he stepped forward, feeling a self-assurance that usually eluded him back in his real life. Egg and Vicki trailed slightly behind him, with Thunder in tow.
Until that moment, Ser Rathaway had been but a name and a shadow that filled Dunk with a very mortal fear. Seeing him up close, and injured as well, was a far different thing. He had a young, unlined face, though his beard leant a maturity that blunted his youthfulness. He looks just a few years older than me, Dunk reckoned, and I'm bigger for sure, and probably far stronger too. He likely would've beat me anyway, but I might've held my own for a little while, at least. The man's accent was rough to his ears, in an english so broken that Dunk couldn't understand at least half of what he said. Still, they managed to communicate well enough so that Rathaway eventually understood that Dunk required neither his arms nor his gold in compensation for his 'victory'. The knight was so surprised and grateful for the generous clemency that he embraced Dunk with no warning, finally landing him a hearty backslap before departing the field.
Once the smallfolk realized what they had just witnessed, a mighty cheer erupted, with further chants of his name. Ser Duncan's name. Dunk found the sound and the spirit of it overwhelming, and though it was clearly all positive he had never felt more embarrased in his entire life. It was simply too much.
But then there was Vicki, coming to his side, managing a rescue of sorts. Using his arm to give herself a boost enough to speak closer to his ear, she gently urged him, "You need to acknowledge them, Duncan. Like...like an actor during curtain call. Because they...well...they kinda love you." Dunk's heart swelled with relief and soft affection to hear how happy and amused she sounded now, a far cry from when she last spoke in his ear. "Love Ser Duncan, that is...if you know what I mean."
"You mean I should...should I bow?"
"No, Dunk," the puff of her quiet laugh tickled his skin, "A wave will do. But with your hand held high, like you really mean it." When he hesitated, Vicki stood down, and showed him exactly what she meant, "Like this." She raised her arm above her head, elbow bent a bit, and slowly waved her hand back and forth. Smiling widely at the mass of people they were facing. Instantly, the volume of their chants increased. When he finally imitated her, the audience began to applaud. A few moments later, Egg joined in. And suddenly, Dunk didn't feel so embarrassed anymore
Following her lead, both Dunk and Egg turned to face the nobility sitting on the far side, then circled back to the smallfolk. It was several minutes until the cheering had settled down, but reading the crowd, she told them, "Always leave 'em wanting more, boys. And exit stage left." The three of them continued to wave as they headed towards the challengers enclosure, with Vicki pausing to wave both hands all on her own, before dashing to catch up with Dunk.
Only when they were out of the sight of tourney spectators, did Dunk feel comfortable celebrating his survival. Vicki had bent down to embrace Egg, and they both looked so happy, so joyful--exactly how he felt--and without second-guessing himself or the impulse that he'd been steadily denying for days (had it only been days, he would ask himself later, 'cuz it damn well felt like I'd been longing for this for half a lifetime instead) he waited for her to stand up and took her by the waist. Her slim, pretty waist, which his fingers had been itching so to lay ahold of--and lifted her high. She let out a surprised but not unhappy cry, her hands resting on his, and as he slowly turned in a circle again and again, she was laughing wholeheartedly, joined moments later by Egg, and then by his own laughter, while his eyes never left her face. And what a perfect chorus they made! Dunk could've sworn he'd never heard one more dear.
"Put me down, Dunk, please", Vicki repeated several times while laughing. "You're making me dizzy...Dunk...honey, please..." and that she'd called him so was not lost on him. Slowly, he let her slide down, while holding her close, until his face was above hers. And still she laughed, her face upturned to his, her lashes wet with happy tears for his safety. Be mine, he was thinking, be mine...be my girl, right here and right now. With your bright eyes and your pretty lips and your gentle touch. Vicki, please be mine.
She must've seen it on his face, for she laid her hands upon his chest and grasped his surcoat as though she would never let go. Her lips were slightly parted as he lowered his face to hers, and his final thoughts before he took that plunge, were thank god and at last...and once their lips met, that never had he tasted a kiss so soft and so sweet as this one that seemed he'd waited half a lifetime for.
Dunk felt a confidence he'd never known before, sure of Vicki's lips fully welcoming his. With other girls he'd always questioned his timing, or if he should've had a breath mint, or if he was just bloody doing it properly, whatever that meant. Softly, but not with his usual caution, he began. A simple brush of his lips on hers, while cupping her face in one hand, the other on the center of her back. She'd risen up on her toes to better reach his mouth, and her lips remained slightly parted, enough for him to nestle his lower lip between hers.
Despite her ever-ready bravado about so many things, Dunk could feel her trembling, and that was a pleasant first for him. No girl had gone so soft for him before, making him need everything with her, and all at once. Yet it felt so good to taste her at last--her humor and kindness and quiet strength, become her sweet, singular flavor--that he wanted to take his time. As no other girl had ever made him crave before.
Vicki gave a whisp of a moan when he touched the tip of his tongue along the inside of her upper lip, encouraging him to taste her more fully. Dunk nudged her lips to part further and she pressed her body tight to his while he slipped his tongue into her mouth. He could've cursed the thick surcoat and protective mail he still wore, for keeping him from fully feeling her curves, but his imagination was vividly alive and would have to suffice. For now.
But their kiss. Her tongue gave way easily, silky as she followed where he led, and Dunk could feel her pleased hum when he lightly stroked along it's surface. He only withdrew to graze her lower lip and she sighed against his mouth. Opening his eyes, Dunk found hers remained closed, her lips reddened and tender looking. By christ, she was lovely, made even more so by what he'd finally dared. He brushed his nose against hers, then let his mouth hover a breath away from hers. Vicki gave a quiet little whimper, opening her eyes. "You shouldn't tease me so, Duncan. It's...it's not...chivalrous...to deny a lady her due..."
"If I kiss you again, I don't think I'll be able to stop at just that," he murmured, "And I'm pretty sure they'd put us both in...what do you call them? The stocks...for what I'm even thinking..."
"Now you are teasing me," she pouted, placing a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth, "Which really isn't fair."
Dunk exhaled slowly, exhilarated as much from having finally shown Vicki how she made him feel--and her response back--as from surviving the joust that wasn't. The day was young and life was good and this lovely, amazing girl wanted more of him, beyond any hope he might've had. "I mean every word, V. And when our timing is better, I swear that I'll show you."
Egg had gotten an eyeful when Duncan had finally kissed her. Vicki had been imagining what it might be like since yesterday afternoon, when she realized just how deep her feelings for him were beginning to run--while at the same time, chastising herself for even thinking such thoughts while this man, this gentle, kind-hearted, and yes, chivalrous man, was facing a danger that couldn't be avoided. But now they were free of that burden, and thus free to indulge in their mutual attraction--though they still had a mountain to overcome. The thing was, they needed to exercise some discretion, at the very least for the sake of the kid.
For his part, Egg seemed unfazed by what he had witnessed, and maybe he hadn't been too surprised after all. He was truly the smartest kid she'd ever met, and incredibly chill for a child his age. Vicki decided the less said, the better. If he had questions, she'd answer them frankly--within the confines of the masquerade that she and Duncan had established in order to function in this world. Otherwise, she had some work to do this afternoon, if they were to have supper tonight.
"If you insist on sticking around here to earn enough coin for our supper, I'll be staying too," Duncan had stated flatly, striving to appear as authoritative and protective as possible. The latter she liked very much; it came naturally to him and Vicki was flattered that he cared enough to be a true knight of sorts regarding her safety. But she had been looking after herself for years now, as she'd explained to him the evening they had met, and she wanted to prove to herself that this still held true.
"No, Duncan, you need to go back to camp and rest a while. Please." They were holding hands, walking the grounds in search of a suitable spot for her to set up her stool and start to play. "You barely slept last night..."
"I'm fine, V," he asserted, "And some of these blokes look...rough. Seedy. Untrustworthy."
"I can handle them, Duncan. I've been known to break a nose from time to time..."
"Yeah, I know," he conceded, "But you shouldn't have to. Ever again." He left unsaid what she just knew he was thinking: now that you have me.
God, how he made her heart flutter! This big, beautiful man, gentle of temperment but with the heart of a lion. Wanting to look after her this way, as if just facing the most frightening challenge of his life hadn't happened within the hour. Vicki wondered if he'd noticed how she couldn't stop smiling. If he had, he was too humble to realize it was all because of him. She was completely smitten.
She tugged him to step to the side, out of the way of the milling crowd. "Duncan, I swear you don't need to worry..." His eyes, a gorgeous sort of dusty, steel blue in the midday sunlight, distracted her a moment from what she meant to say. "Um...it's broad daylight and there's plenty of people around. If I need some kind of help--which I won't," she stressed, "I just need to raise my voice--and with my vocal training I can project louder than you'd ever guess--and any bloke bothering me is gonna scuttle off as fast as he can..."
"But...I don't...," Dunk sputtered.
Vicki wagged her finger, though she couldn't keep the grin from her face. "Dunk...honey...I promise to stay planted right where you leave me. No wandering, I'm just here to play and maybe sing a little." He opened his mouth, then closed it when she shook her head. "You go back to camp, get a few hours rest, and I'll wait exactly where you leave me until you come back to escort me home. Well before the sun sets."
He scrunched his face--which was absolutely adorable in her eyes--passed his hand across his forehead and eyes, and huffed softly, "You really are a stubborn one, aren't you?"
"The most stubborn you've ever met, D," she teased, reading her victory in the softness of his smile lines. "So, c'mon and help me find the perfect spot, because I'm determined that we won't be dining on hard salt beef or even salt fish this evening."
Despite her assertions that she would be fine, Dunk still felt a bit uneasy leaving Vicki alone on the tourney grounds. He left, but returned not ten minutes later (she'd been playing Dancing Queen) to leave her a freshly filled water skin, one of the two they had packed in Chestnut's saddlebags for their trip down to the joust. He waited, happy to listen to her playing, until a couple of folks stepped up to leave coins in her bowl, and took that as his chance to approach her.
The sun was at his back, so she shaded her eyes as she looked up at him, softly exclaiming, "Why, Duncan? Why?"
"Because even the most stubborn girls get thirsty, and I figured you'd get especially so once you sang a song or two." He handed her the stoppered skin.
She accepted it with a bashful smile, and immediately took a long sip. "You're going to spoil me rotten, Ser...aren't you?"
"Well, that's maybe not at the top of my list, but it will have to do for now." The blush that colored her cheeks in reply let him know she understood exactly what he meant.
Back at camp, while Egg went about unpacking Chestnut, stowing Dunk's mail and armored pieces, and grooming the horses, Dunk finally felt the full weight of his exhaustion. "Virgilia was right, Egg. I do need to sleep a while." He laid his blanket in the shade of the leafy oak tree where he and Vicki had spent so much of the previous night just talking. "Can't keep my eyes open a minute more. Just don't let me sleep more than a few hours, lad. I don't want to leave her too long down there on her own."
Within minutes of laying his head on the straw-stuffed sack that served as his pillow, Dunk fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, only waking up to Egg shaking him vigorously. He was disoriented a moment, temporarily forgetting he wasn't waking up in his own world. But the sight of Egg reminded him. He felt no sense of time, but the shadows cast by the leaves had moved enough for him to know he'd been out for a few hours. His next thought was for Vicki, wondering how she was doing down on the faire grounds. Dunk decided to wash up quickly, and then save some time by riding down to get her.
"Egg, do we have any kind of soap? I need to clean up."
"A small bit leftover of a bar we bought two tourneys ago, Ser. You'll be wanting it now?"
"Yes, please." Because a man shouldn't even try to romance a girl if he reeks of sweat and horse. "And then saddle up Chestnut for me. I'll be riding down to fetch Ms. Virgilia."
As promised, Vicki had remained exactly where he'd left her. She was playing a lively rendition of I'm Still Standing, and when she saw him waiting at the edge of the score or so people gathered around her to listen, she beamed him a bright smile and finished the tune with a improvised flourish. She rose and took a little bow, cue enough to those watching her perform that the show was done. By twos and threes, they moved along their way.
"Well, you're looking better rested, at least." She bent to retrieve her bowl. Dunk noted it contained only four copper pennies.
"Wait...you played for hours and that's all these people managed..."
Vicki patted his arm and then picked up her burlap sack and gave it a couple of shakes. The jangle of coin against coin and the way it sagged at the bottom told just the opposite. "Check it out," she grinned, handing him the bag, "We can eat for days on this."
Dunk gave a low whistle. "This is brilliant! I guess I underestimated you, V."
"As much as I'd like to take all the credit, this wasn't all me." She had him pull open the drawstring so that she could scoop out a handful of her stash, exchanging it for her lute. "Our little performance earlier, it, uh...endeared you to the crowd. And I guess me, by extension..."
"What? How so?" He found her first assertion hard to swallow; the second, not at all surprising. 'Course, I'm likely not the most impartial judge where you're concerned, Vicki. Before she could pick it up, Dunk took her little stool to carry.
"See. Spoiling me." She gave a long sigh and told him pertly, "Well...suit yourself then." He held out his other hand to take her sack, and then slung it across his shoulder.
Dunk offered her his arm next, and she tucked her own around it as they started to stroll. "But you were saying?"
"Oh, yeah...ehm...yes. I was recognized from this morning at the tilt thing, and that got me more than a few friendly comments from folks who tipped me. Mostly about you, Dunk...well, Ser Duncan. That it was..." She slipped into an accent very like a Cockney dialect back home, "...'what yer knight done was a grand deed' and 'the world could do with more like 'im'." Vicki gave his arm a little squeeze. "So you've got quite the sterling reputation now. And I, of course, absolutely agree."
"And now you're spoiling me, V," Dunk muttered, though it did make him straighten out his shoulders anyway. Looking around, he caught people here and there watching him. Watching them. He knew that Vicki was accustomed to that kind of behavior from the career she had chosen, but it was novel to him. But he found that simply nodding or smiling at them--acknowledging the kind regard and curiosity sent his way, even as Vicki had advised him earlier--made him feel more comfortable, and as though he actually belonged here.
They walked the full circuit of the market and the craftsmans stalls, then stopped for some ale and to discuss what might come next for them. Any idea of how they might get home still eluded them, but somehow it didn't feel anywhere near as urgent as it had when they first met. At least to Dunk. He had survived the worst and now this time seemed like a little, much-deserved holiday--to be spent alongside the sweetest girl he'd ever known. So why would he want to escape just yet, when things could just be getting good?
At last they decided to get what they needed to have a hearty meal back at camp with Egg. And to focus with fuller clarity on the dilemma of how to get home come tomorrow. Tonight could simply be a celebration, which all three of them deserved.
Vicki suggested they divide and conquer to get everything they wanted for a camp-cooked feast. A huge shank of smoked venison, carrots and mushrooms with something similar to wild rice, a generous cluster of grapes, peaches picked that very day, with fresh fried bread, a full wineskin for the adults and cider for Egg.
The fry woman remembered him at once. "I saw you ride today, though didn't know 'twas you 'til you removed your helm, Ser. 'Twas a noble thing you did for that other knight."
Dunk's tongue felt too thick to reply. How could such a small act of kindness be considered noble? "It just seemed the fairest thing to do," he told her quietly.
"Mayhap, good Ser," she said, beginning to fill his order, "Though most knights I've seen are not so prone to such a sense of justice..."
He only nodded, unsure of what to say. The woman continued on through his silence. "And what of your lady fair, this evenfall? I saw her at your side this morning."
"Um...aye," he managed, a little tickled that he remembered to use the local speech.
"And where is she right now?" He pointed to the cider stand, two booths down. The woman nodded. "That one's a sweet songbird, ain't she?"
That was an easy one to answer, and wholeheartedly too. "Aye," Dunk grinned, "The sweetest of them all." Especially when she sings just for me.
She laughed at that, wrapping the fresh, hot bread in a new linen cloth. "And you tried to tell me the other night that she weren't yours, when it's clear to anyone with eyes that you're as soft on her as any man might be when love knocks on his door." Dunk face was thoroughly flushed as he handed her coins in payment and took the bundle of bread she passed to him. "Don't wait too long to tell her, lad. A bird like that might fly the coop if she doesn't know how much you want her."
He nodded again, then quietly thanked her for both the bread and the good advice. Food for thought, he mused as he walked away. Sure, he'd fallen fast and fallen deep for Vicki, as never before in his life--but that a stranger could read that about him was a huge surprise. That she seemed the perfect girl for him was extraordinary, and Dunk couldn't help remembering the words of his wish. For a little span of time when I'd be cool enough that a nice girl might see me and like me, for exactly who I am. Those green-tailed wishing stars might well have given him the opportunity to shine, if going by the events of the day. Couldn't it be that Vicki had been part of that wish fulfillment as well? And if both were true, would he...would they...need fresh wishing stars to find their way back home?
They rode Chestnut back together, Vicki trusting Dunk in his limited experience to get them there safely. She'd had to tuck her skirts up to climb up behind him, but once she settled against his back with her arms confidently around him, it was the finest feeling in the world.
They ate their fill around the campfire, relaxed and happy to have reached the end of the day no worse for wear. With darkness falling around them, Dunk was wishing that Egg was worn out enough to bed down soon. The strains of music reaching them from the tourney grounds turned slower at times and he was thinking how satisfying it would be to dance, or at least sway, with Vicki in his arms beneath the star-studded sky. Then snog her soundly.
Unfortunately, within the hour, Nature herself threw a wrench in his hopes.
When the sky opened up, they had been lingering by the light of the fire, snacking on the peaches--the plumpest, juiceiest he'd ever tasted--and were drenched in mere minutes. They'd had little warning but the swift drop in the air temperature and a sudden change in the wind direction, with ever rising gusts that whipped the leaves into a frenzied dance. They had immediately begun collecting all the loose items about the camp, securing whatever they could in saddlebags and sacks to load on the horses. Though the first thunderclaps were startling, they were distant enough not to be too alarming, but all too soon spikes of lightning lit up the sky.
The lightning heralded an increasing downpour, with raindrops cold enough to sting bare skin. "Shouldn't we shelter beneath this oak tree," Vicki had shouted, her loose hair plastered to her skin, her eyes wide with uncertainty.
Dunk remembered enough from the rare chances he'd had to attend summer camp. "We need to get away from the tallest trees before the lightning arrives. They're just like lightning rods in a storm like this."
Together Dunk and Egg had bridled the horses and thrown on their saddles, loading them up with what they'd already packed . Vicki continued to grab things that they'd missed to prevent the wind from stealing them away.
"Take the horses where the trees are densest," Dunk instructed Egg. "Short, dense trees are best and keep away from taller, isolated trees." The boy ran on ahead with the horses and just about everything they owned. Dunk soon lost sight of him in the driving rain. He had grabbed Vicki's burlap sack and slung it across one shoulder, shouting to make himself heard above the crash of thunder and the heavy fall of the rain on the leaves overhead. "Where are you, V? We need to get out of here now." She was nowhere in sight.
"Duncan, I can't...I'm stuck..." she hollered, the distress clear in her voice, "...the mud, it's like wet cement..."
He turned a full circle, seeking some sight of her in the gloom, and he spotted her at the edge of the path that led down to the tourney grounds. Dunk sped to reach her, intending to take her hand and drag her along, but her mud-sodden skirts now weighed her down. He bent close so she could hear him above the noise. "Arms around my neck. Now, V. Now!" Vicki did as he bid, tucking her head against his chest. She was shivering hard, from fright perhaps, and certainly from the cold, unrelenting rain. "I've got you, V. Don't you fret..." He tugged hard against the mud's grip on her but she remained mired a couple inches above her ankles. Just short of panicing, she cried out his name, and he put every ounce of strength left to him into pulling her out. She came free with a pop and they nearly toppled back into the growing lake of sludge, but Dunk managed to keep on his feet.
He took off--still carrying her--into the forest in the last direction that Egg had gone. In just a few minutes, the threat of a lightning strike seemed less dire. Dunk set Vicki down several feet from the base of a short, stout elm tree. The thick thatch of leaves was an imperfect shelter from the rain, but already better from where they'd been caught by the storm. The ground was damp, but not saturated. Vicki's breath was coming in jagged hitches as she struggled not to cry. Dunk knelt in front of her, cupping her face in his hands, "Are you alright?"
Nodding, she clapped her trembling hands on his. "I'm fine, Dunk. Go check on Egg. I'll be...I'll be okay."
"Stay right here, Vicki," he told her, taking to his feet, "I'll be back before you know it."
Egg had loosely tied the horses to a low shrub, only out of concern that if spooked by the storm, they might run off. Dunk gave the boy quick instructions, thanking him for staying so level-headed and jumping into action the moment his help had been essential.
He returned to find Vicki hunched over with her arms wrapped around her knees. She looked up at him, sniffling and miserable sounding, "My shoes got stuck in the mud, Dunk. My feet are soooo cold..."
"Oooohhhh, I'm sure they are, love. But we'll get you fixed up as quick as we can." Her whole body was wracked with chills. "Egg's looking for wood dry enough to burn right now, but in the meantime you'll have to settle for this..." Dunk knelt down again, and this time he pulled her to him, wrapping his arms snuggly around her. Hoping it would be enough to start to warm her until he and Egg got a fire built.
Vicki moaned softly, "It's the wet, Dunk. It feels like it's in my bones..."
I know, baby girl. I know. He bit his tongue lest he say it out loud. He brushed his lips on her temple, just needing to give her some quiet comfort. And where is Egg with the damned wood?
What else could I do for her? Dunk thought back to the Health and First Aid classes he had taken in secondary school. He hadn't always been the best student overall, but just as he'd excelled in PE (once he'd been able to properly manage his gangly limbs), he'd gotten high marks in those as well. It had been part of the reason he'd even considered becoming a PE teacher. What had they taught about persistent chills? Hypothermia? He should be able to warm her with his body heat, for he was practically a furnace himself.
Egg finally arrived with an armload of wood, his flint and steel, and some birch bark--dry tinder he had kept stowed at the bottom of one of Chestnut's leather saddlebags. He set to work building a fire several feet away from the tree, but close enough for the branches to protect it from most of the rain
Once he got a spark to catch, Dunk called to him. "Egg, keep on eye on Virgilia for me, will you? I need to see if we have any dry clothing in our saddle bags."
Dunk returned with their hay-stuffed pillows, a dry though threadbare blanket, his own spare, clean shirt, and his cloak. "She's been whimpering, Ser," Egg told him. "Like a nursing pup who can't find it's mother."
"Give me a hand here, Egg." Dunk had the boy spread the hay on the ground at the base of the elm and then lay the blanket atop it. That should be dry enough for Vicki to lay on. Now comes the delicate part, he thought, bracing himself to do what needed done.
He rubbed his hands together vigorously, creating heat by friction, then gently placed them on either side of her neck. She gasped hard and her eyes fluttered open. "Duncan..." She murmured, struggling to keep her eyes from shutting again.
"Yes, Vicki, I'm here." Her head had begun to droop, so he gently raised her chin to get her to look at him. "We need to get you out of these wet clothes, V, and into something dry. Are you with me?"
She nodded, teeth chattering, and though clearly dazed, managed a weak smile. "Yes, Duncan." She reached for him, brushing her thumb along his cheekbone. "Silly lad," she sighed, "Can't you tell that I'd follow you anywhere?"
Dunk felt ready to melt. Her touch, the unbidden honesty of her confession, the sweetness of her smile that was meant only for him. None of it expected, but all things he'd been craving for uncounted years. And coming from her, in less than three full days, it felt like a small miracle. "If I help you, do you think you can you stand?"
"Yes, Ser," she giggled in her chill-altered state and snapped him a salute, before adding a sad realization, "But they don't do that here, do they Duncan? That's only at home...and...oh, Dunk, I wanna go home now..."
"I know, love. So do I." Slowly he stood up, and pulled her to her feet. "But there's still some things we have to do yet, before we can get there. Lean on me, alright?"
"Gladly," she told him, shivering even more fiercely as she let him bear a good part of her weight.
He only needed to get her behind the tree, for privacy sake, and now that he had Vicki walking, she seemed better able to stay upright herself. Dunk tossed his spare tunic on a bush nearest the ancient elm. "That's for you when you're ready, V. You can just drop your dress and slip on the ground. I'll get them when you're through."
For a moment, a saucy expression teased at her face, but then she twirled her finger to tell him to turn his back. "I'm all set, Duncan," she told him when done.
And such a sight she was to him. Though his tunic was huge on her, more like a dress and falling nearly to her knees, the blue suited her dark hair and fair skin well. Stop gawking, he chided himself, as she hugged herself to ward off the chill that had her hard in its grasp. Without a second thought, Dunk scooped her up to carry her to the patch of hay at the base of the tree.
"I can walk, you know." Her voice was muffled as she pressed her face against his shoulder. And still she shivered in his arms.
"I know." I know, baby girl. "But I'm here, so why should you have to?" Dunk set her down, then wrapped his cloak around her, taking care to see that her feet were covered. "Just one more thing, V, and I'll have you toasty warm before you know it."
Vicki nodded and watched as he gathered her things, shook off the mud as best he could and then draped them over a couple of tree branches within his reach. Dunk stripped off his own wet shirt and hung it up as well.
She had pulled the cloak up to cover the lower half of her face, and as he dropped to the ground next to her Vicki drew a deep breath. She hummed as she exhaled, "Mmmmm...this smells like you, Dunk. Can I keep it?"
"Whatever you want, V." Despite the seriousness of the situation, he nearly laughed at how adorable she looked. Certaintly not quite back to her usual herself, the combination of adrenaline and her body coping with the cold had left her no filter on her thoughts. "Whatever you need..." I'm your man.
Dunk scooted closer. "Alright, now...c'mere..." He unwrapped his cloak from around her, leaving it to cover her shoulders and back, then drew Vicki against his chest..
"What...what are you doing," she sniffled.
"It's okay, honey. I'm just warming you up like I promised..."
"Oh. Okay then." She was silent a few moments, then asked softly, "But, ehm...what happened to your shirt, Dunk?"
"You're wearing it, love," he chuckled.
"Oh. Oooohhhh...that's...that's nice," she sighed. "Did it stop raining?"
Though the crash of thunder was less frequent and coming from a greater distance, Dunk could still make out the splatter of rain drops on the leafy canopy above them. "Not yet, but we're some place safe now."
"This place is much better..." Her breath hitched, "I was so...so cold..." For a moment she sounded on the verge of tears again, but after a couple of deep breaths, she didn't give in. "But you're warm, Dunk. And I really needed this...".
"I know." He finally gave in and said what he'd wanted to call her for hours. "I know, baby girl." He moved his head enough to kiss her forehead.
"I was so cold and...so awfully afraid. I couldn't move and it was like I was drowning. I couldn't do a thing to help myself." Dunk knew she was now crying a little from the wet of her precious tears on his skin. He simply tightened his embrace. "But you were right there. Just like in my dream..."
He found himself gently rocking her. "I was afraid too, V," he murmured, "Afraid I could lose you..."
She shook her head a mite. "Not so long as you're holding me, Duncan...holding me warmly...so very warmly..." How drowsy she sounded, as his warmth gradually stole over her.
"Always am, V. Always will."
She laid her still chilly hand on his chest. "You're so solid, too. I...I like that about you, Dunk. Solid...dependable...kind. You're always so kind...I never met a man so kind...and brave, too..." Vicki seemed to have lapsed into a stream of cconsciousness.
Her breathing had growner slower, deeper, falling into rhythm with his own. He realized she was half asleep already--and perhaps he could say a thing or two without feeling tongue-tied or awkward. "You're soft, Vicki. Not just to touch...and to hold...and, uh...kiss..." Tell her. Tell her how you feel! "You're soft-hearted...and so patient with me. And so funny when I need it the most...and I don't think I could ever get enough of that...enough of...of you."
Vicki had gone completely silent, so that Dunk wondered if what he'd said had been too much. But then she was nuzzling his skin, and it felt like a low, electric hum on his flesh, and he had to admit to himself, at least, how much such a small thing proved how badly he wanted her. Not just to be with, but to be his. Even in this most dire and innocent of circumstances, he needed her to be his.
"Alright then," she whispered, "That settles it, doesn't it, dear? But I think I need to sleep now, Duncan. Just please...keep holding me...don't let me go..."
"You just try and make me, baby girl. I'll never let go..."
"Good..." she yawned against him, her voice too sleepy to deny, "...'cuz I wanna be with you, Duncan Dunne. In any way...any way that you'll have me..."
As she trailed off this time, he was sure she'd fallen asleep, though her final words would follow him into whatever dreams might await him. Tenderly, Dunk laid her down atop the bed of straw, still resting her head on his chest, the sweetness of her like a healing drug in his veins. He was asleep in just moments after that.
