Liaison: Cross-Hearts

The Knight Who Kept Smiling

The first time Sir Rowan Ashford met Adrian Vale, he fell into a fountain.

Not metaphorically.

Not poetically.

Quite literally.

One moment he was riding through the market square with all the dignity expected of a royal knight.

The next, his horse stepped on a loose cobblestone, panicked at a flock of pigeons, and sent Rowan tumbling headfirst into the village fountain.

Water splashed everywhere.

Children screamed.

Merchants gasped.

An old woman laughed so hard she nearly dropped her basket.

Rowan surfaced with a curse.

His soaked silver hair clung to his face.

His armor felt twice as heavy.

And directly in front of him stood the most beautiful man he had ever seen.

The stranger was laughing.

Not politely.

Not discreetly.

Laughing so hard he had to hold onto a nearby stall for support.

Rowan stared.

The stranger stared back.

Then he laughed harder.

"I am terribly sorry," the man managed between breaths.

"You do not sound sorry."

"I'm trying to be."

"You are failing."

"I know."

The man grinned.

It was unfairly charming.

Rowan immediately disliked him.

Unfortunately, he continued thinking about him for the rest of the day.

His name was Adrian.

Rowan learned this two days later when he returned to the village.

Officially, he was conducting routine patrols.

Unofficially, he was searching for the man who laughed at him.

Not that he would ever admit that.

Adrian worked at a bakery near the square.

The scent of fresh bread drifted through the open windows.

When Rowan entered, Adrian looked up from arranging pastries.

A smile immediately spread across his face.

"Oh no."

Rowan sighed.

"What?"

"The fountain knight."

Rowan closed his eyes.

"I have a name."

"I know."

"And yet."

"And yet."

Adrian laughed again.

Rowan discovered something alarming that day.

He liked hearing it.

The visits became frequent.

Then regular.

Then expected.