Prince Aidan listened intently as Sir Lyn spoke. Having to endure additional difficulties in life because of something you were born with was a struggle that he could empathize with. He smiled at her before replying. "No need to apologize, I enjoyed listening. And I wouldn't doubt your talent myself, having seen you firsthand whoop every other young knight in the realm." He was staring to enjoy this girl's company already, despite his initial worries.

As they came closer to the nearest village, Aidan reached into his pockets and produced a clear gem. He mumbled some arcane words and it began to glow with a rainbow of colours. He ran it over his eyes, then his hair, muttering yet again. The distinct traits of his royal bloodline became reversed - his silver hair turning black and his red eyes turning blue. He looked over to Sir Lyn once again. "Remember, my name is Erik Gwent and I'm a courtier from the Western Isles."

“Of course,” Lyn replied. She was mildly gratified by Prince Aidan’s improved manner of speaking to her, but that didn’t mean that she liked him as a person quite yet.

They arrived in the village, which was moving at a steady afternoon bustle. No one seemed too concerned with the arrival of a shabby cart driven by a woman. Lyn secured a space to tether the horse with a small payment to the hostler outside the nearest inn, and then returned to the wagon.

“We’ve arrived, Erik,” she called into the wagon. Once he emerged, she would lock up the wagon’s contents, tether it with the horse, and take a seat inside that was facing the window, so she could keep an eye on their belongings while they dined. This seemed like a relatively mild-mannered village, but one could never be too careful.

“Erik?” she asked, wondering what was taking him so long to disembark.

Aidan took a moment to get out of the wagon, making sure he had whatever supplies were critical like his heart medicine on his person, and that he'd left items that could be used to identify him such as his family signet ring stowed safety away. As well, he took a moment to think about Sir Lyn. They were going to be spending a long time together, alone. And she was quite nice on the eyes even in the get-up of a warrior. Perhaps that added a bit of allure, in fact. Aidan considered making an advance on her. A fling would be enjoyable for the both of them, if she was willing to go along.

He stepped out of the wagon eventually, flashing a smile at his companion. "Apologies, Lyn. It's rude of me to keep a lovely woman such as yourself waiting." he said, extended a hand out to her. "Shall we head inside?"

Lyn was oblivious to Aidan’s intended pass because she was startled to see that his eyes and hair had changed color. She’d assumed he would have simply dressed in dark clothing with a hooded cloak, but of course it made more sense to use a simple spell to avoid recognition. Lyn blinked, realizing that he actually did have quite a well-shaped face. And had he just called her a "lovely woman"? Perhaps the heat that collected through the roof in the back of the cart while traveling was affecting his head.

Instead of accepting his proffered arm, she clasped her arms behind her back; a militant stance that had been drilled into her during her years in training. “Er. If you’re ready, Erik, then I suppose we should indeed enter the inn. We’ll want to finish this meal quickly if we intend to reach the next village before nightfall.”

She finished securing the exterior of the wagon and walked past Aidan, holding the door open for him. Lyn had left her shield stowed away, but still had her sword strapped to her hip.

Aidan blinked when Lyn didn't take his hand. He furrowed his brow, shooting her an upset look. What sort of right-minded person denied a hand from their Prince? He simply sighed. "Very well." He walked through the door as Lyn held it open for him. Once inside, the Prince headed over to one of the window seats, wanting to keep watch over the wagon just in case.

Once he was seated, a smiling blonde maid walked over to the table. "Greetings, friend! My name is Helga, is there anything I can get for you?"

Aidan flashed his best smile and nodded his head. "Why yes, I would like a cup of red wine and a cut of salmon to go with it."

"Erm...sorry friend, but we don't have anything like that here. Most of our food comes from Lyonsvarg. Beef, beer, lamb, buttered bread..."

The Prince frowned. "Very well. I'll just take oatmeal then. With berries and walnuts, if you have those at the least."

"I see. And for your lady?" the smiling maid looked over to Lyn.

Lyn watched their exchange. Although she was keeping a constant watchful eye on the window beside their table, she also analyzed the people dining in the mildly busy inn. Lyn wasn’t sure if she felt uncomfortable because of the charming smile Aidan had given to the pretty waitress, or because she referred to Lyn as Aidan’s ‘lady’. Or perhaps the chair she was sitting in just had poor back support. Yes, that must be it.

“Vegetable stew, a plain hunk of bread, and a half pint of ale,” she requested, glancing at Aidan. He seemed much more at ease than she did, even though he was the one who was concealing his true identity. Lyn waited until the maid walked away to retrieve their orders before she spoke again.

“Salmon and red wine, then. Is that your usual fare?” she asked. “I don’t believe I’ve ever so much as tasted salmon before. I suppose I’m used to preparing meals for myself; the sort that can keep you going through a long day.”

Helga bowed her head before bounding off, shooting a smile back at Aidan as she left. Once she was gone, the Prince turned his attention back to Sir Lyn. "I often have a variety of foods, as there's little that the family cooks can't acquire. I forgot though that the closer you get the Lyonsvarg, the further you get from the seas. Less fish, more tough meats. Less grapes for wine, more oats for ale. I do fear my future meals for this journey will be much more boring than what I'm used to."

He looked over Lyn once more, staring her up and down. Aidan wondered if her reaction to the offering of his hand early was out of surprise rather than an intent dismissal. "You're good at cooking then? That'll be handy, as the distances between inns on the road will vary greatly. I hope you wouldn't mind having to cook such meals for me as well." he said, then gave her a playful smile.

Lyn nodded along; genuinely interested in the prince’s knowledge of the different exports that could be obtained in different lands. Although, she couldn't figure out why he was smiling at her so oddly.

“Rest assured that I can both build a fire and prepare food upon it,” she told him. “You won’t need to worry about meals as we travel. In fact, because the next village is the last one we’ll come upon for a few days, I was thinking that we should stock up on non-perishable supplies there. We’ll also need to prepare for a few nights camping just off the road, when we're between villages with a great distance to travel. When it’s necessary, I can set up a perimeter of subtle items that will alert us to anyone’s approach; although I can stay on watch all night if need be.”

Her gaze drifted towards the window for a moment; but another traveler was simply tethering their horse. “Is there anything in particular you require us to purchase? We should make a list now so that procuring the items won’t take up too much of our time once we arrive.”

Aidan remained smiling as Lyn spoke. "That's some wise thinking. Clever, multi-talented, strong, and beautiful. You really are a woman of quality, Lyn." he said, attempting to flirt with her once more. He wondered if his efforts were coming across. The knight seemed focused, shooting looks at the window to check on the wagon.

"As to items we'll need, my family already stocked us with the essentials and then some. I may require a few extra ingredients and components for some of my magic, but I have enough right now for a few spells. If they have some red wine in town, which I doubt, that would be welcome too."

Lyn vaguely noticed Aidan’s compliments, wondering if he was just trying to reassure himself that she was qualified to protect him, or if there was another reason he was trying to be so nice.

“I’ll be sure to assist you in searching for your ingredients,” Lyn told him. “Do you know much about magic?” Magic was something she had never really learned much about; preferring to train with things she could physically control and understand, such as a sword and her own body’s muscles.

Her question was put on hold by the return of the pretty barmaid, who somehow managed to juggle a bowl of oatmeal, a hunk of bread, a tankard of a half-pint of ale, and a bowl of stew. She set them down before the pair.

“Will you be needing anything else?” she asked sweetly.

Aidan nodded his head. "I know much about the arcane from my studies, but my ability to control it is still fairly limited. Have you ever wondered why so many wizards are grey-haired old men with bears that reach their bellies? Become a powerful wielder of magic takes much longer than becoming a trained warrior, and I'm still very young. So no casting fireballs or invisibility for me yet, sadly."

He looked up at the maid as she returned, flashing another smile. "Thank you, Helga. I'm fine right now with just the company of my lovely lady." he said. The maid giggled before she left and Aidan tended to his meal. He looked back up at Lyn while he ate, swallowing a spoonful down before speaking.

"Still, what I can use is very useful. Oftentimes it's the most simple of abilities that can have the greatest utility, like being able to recolour something or heat something without creating flame."

Lyn nodded thoughtfully. It made sense that it would take a long time to master sorcery; she doubted that she would ever have the patience to sit down and study ancient spellwork for long enough to become decently skilled with it.

She winced inwardly at the girly sound of Helga’s giggles, watching as the maid walked away. Had Aidan just complimented her again? He must simply be keeping up the pretense of his ‘Erik’ character; surely, that was it. Perhaps Lyn should have asked if he wanted to maintain a more detailed masquerade, with details such as flirtations between Erik and herself. Erik was from the Western Isles, anyway; and there were few reasons for a young woman and man to be traveling alone together to the place they both hailed from, other than a romantic journey of sorts.

Lyn managed to finish eating in good time; and a quick glance out the window revealed that their belongings were still safely secured where they were left. “I’m ready when you are,” she told him. “Also… Is there a certain way I ought to be interacting with you while we are in public view?” She asked this last question in a lower voice, even though no one appeared to be paying attention to them.

Aidan eventually finished his oatmeal, down to the last soggy grain. Even though it was lowly commoner food, it certainly did well to fill the belly. Plus he would need to keep his energy up while traveling outdoors. As Sir Lyn spoke, the Prince flashed her a smile. It appeared that she had caught up to his flirtations. Though it seemed she might have confused them for an act rather than genuine advances. Aidan wondered if he should play along with the opportunity, continue to advance on her while in private or simply drop it all together.

After a moment, he shuffled over to Lyn's side of the table. Aidan lifted his hand up and groped one of her breasts, giving it a squeeze. "How about that?" he said, smirking. He surprised himself even in being able to do something so bold. But there was something about the lady-knight that made him feel confident, just by her presence alone.

Instead of giving her question a verbal answer, Aidan stood and grasped one of Lyn’s breasts, squeezing it with enough force that she felt it even through her leather jerkin. “How about that?” he asked, with a smirk evident on his frustratingly handsome face.

Lyn’s eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed a red that rivaled the color of her hair. “O-oh. I see,” she stammered. “I’ll do my best to work with you on this, my Lor—er, Erik.” She certainly hadn’t been expecting him to do anything of the sort, and wasn’t sure how to respond as Aidan’s hand lingered on her body.

She knew everything there was to know about proper swordplay and battle tactics and shieldwork, but Lyn had no experience in the field of intimacy; not to mention that Aidan’s general demeanor made her feel more flustered and uncomfortable than she had ever felt around anyone else. When she’d been taunted by men like Orenel or called to on the street, a sharp right hook usually shut them up, if they ever went past inappropriate words and had the gall to try and touch her. But what could she do to Aidan except follow his orders?

Aidan smirked back at her, fondling a bit before removing his hand from her breast. He had half-expected Sir Lyn to slap him for the grope. However it seemed she remained professional and courteous as before. Perhaps it was the privilege of being royalty that stayed a reaction from her, or perhaps she actually enjoyed the feeling. Aidan also wondered whether he should advance on in private after this, or maintain it as being a masquerade.

"You know, I wasn't sure about this arrangement before, but I think you and I are going to have plenty of fun on this journey." he said, winking. He lifted himself from the seat and offered Lyn his hand. "We should get going now that we're done eating. Maybe we could have each other for desert on the wagon." he joked.

Lyn accepted Aidan's hand, almost knocking her chair over awkwardly as she stood. She viewed this pretense of a relationship as a new challenge. Give her a pack of bandits or assailants on horseback, and she knew immediately how to analyze the situation and play to her strengths. But romance? Even with a false one, she was quite lost as to how she should act.

Not to mention that the prince made her so bloody nervous, and she had no idea why. Even just touching his hand was giving her an uncomfortable swooping sensation in her stomach. And having each other for dessert? She shuddered to think of what that meant. At the same time, she felt a hint of curiosity at the prospect of getting closer to the prince.

She shook those thoughts out of her head. As soon as possible, Lyn let go of Aidan's hand to push the door open, and busied herself with preparing the horse and wagon. She was suddenly very aware of every movement she made, and could feel Aidan's eyes on her.

Aidan couldn't help but chuckle a little as Lyn let go of his hand, heading over to help prepare the wagon. She was certain of it now - he was going to be having all sorts of fun with the knightess as his companion. It was interesting to note that despite Sir Lyn's boldness in battle and martial skill, she turned jittery upon being touched. The Prince wondered if she had never experience such affection from a man before.

He walked over to the wagon as Lyn was setting things ready, and gave her a playful slap on the rear with his hand. "I must admit, Sir Lyn, that I'm surprised I seem to be making you more nervous than any battle." He gave her rear a squeeze, getting a feel for it.

Lyn practically jumped two feet into the air as she scooted away from the Prince's grasp upon her rear.

"I-I am sorry, my Lord," she stammered. "Upon my honor, I will do a better job of keeping up this masquerade. Forgive me for not being able to immediately get into character." Lyn hurriedly finished up with the wagon and waited for Aidan to climb into the back. Then, she clicked her tongue to the horse, and they were on their way once more.

Lyn's cheeks felt hot and her hands felt cold. Perhaps she was falling ill?

They had taken longer with their meal than Lyn had hoped to. The sun would be going down in only a few hours, and she still had the feeling that something or someone was lurking around them in the forest. They would likely have to camp in the midst of a clearing, come nightfall.

Lyn thought back to the numerous times Aidan had laid a hand on her. Each time had filled her with fear, uncertainty, a bit of disgust, and also a bit of excitement. She honestly couldn't tell if Aidan was simply trying to become his character Erik, or if he had decided that he could have anything he wanted, like the privileged prat she'd originally suspected him to be. Well, if that was the case, she wouldn't make it quite so easy for him. She had no obligation to keep up the pretense of their being a couple when there was no one else around, so she wasn't going to. In fact, it would probably be best for her to stay far away from him whenever it wasn't absolutely necessary to be near.

Aidan continued to be entertained by Lyn's reactions to his advances. He remained smiling as he nodded, before climbing into the back of the wagon. He could see the sun slowly descending towards the mountains as they traveled away from the inn. Time truly flied by when you were having fun. For the rest of the ride, Aidan remained with his eyes fixed on the redhead. He decided that reading could wait for the rest of today.

"I cannot lie." the Prince said. "There's something very attractive about the...air of boldness you have, Sir Lyn. Normally I find myself either too gentlemanly or too shy to look for excuses to touch a woman. But it seems your presence has drawn out a bit of bravery from me." His lips lifted into a smirk once more. "Perhaps we should make something of it. Make this trip a bit more exciting for the both us. It doesn't need to be anything too intimate, of course. Just some playful romance. What do you say?"

Lyn was again taken aback by the Prince's boldness. She supposed he had never had to be discreet about anything; but it would take a while to get used to the way he interacted with her.

"A-air of boldness? I prefer to think of it as a knight's confidence. One must be sure of oneself in order to be worthy of carrying a shield to protect others," Lyn recited, partially paraphrasing one of the guidelines that had been drilled into her at the Academy. "I confess, I'm not at all experienced with what you call, er, "playful romance"..." or any kind of romance, for that matter, she added silently. "But also, I'm not quite sure as to what you're proposing," she added. "It was my understanding that we were to play as characters while around others, in order to maintain our disguise. Is that not still the case?" She flushed slightly. Lyn did have an inkling about what the Prince was suggesting in that silky tone of his, but she couldn't possibly be right. What did Aidan possibly see in her that was womanly or feminine?