Note from the writer: Female dwarf noble origin seen with the eyes of a hopeless romantic and written in a hurry. Gorim's thoughts about Lady Aeducan.

...

He calls her 'my lady'

He calls her 'my lady'. She is a noble and he is not, so it is only fitting.

He follows her into battle, serves her as a warrior. Not too long ago he was also her trainer. Some of the things she knows, he has taught her. At first that wasn't his choice, he was compelled by both tradition and will of the King, but now he couldn't think of doing anything else. He must serve her.

He has killed for her. Or at least ordered people to be killed for her. Sometimes there have been people who have threatened her, or her house, and he has been there to carry out her orders. She has never given them lightly, and he has always had the opportunity to advice her against those actions. She listens to him.

He is happy that she hasn't ordered too many deaths. Although she's a warrior, she's less covered in blood than many nobles who have never raised a sword in public. She wishes to serve her people by protecting them from the darkspawn, not by wasting her time plotting to gain glory and the downfall of others. He respects her for that.

He has seen several young noblemen look her way wistfully. He has been asked by some of them to deliver messages to his lady, or to tell them what kind of tokens of affection she would appreciate. He has always replied in the same way; "I serve my lady as a warrior, nothing else", and refused to help them. He may have angered some nobles, but he will not help her find a husband. He cannot.

He does not remember when exactly it was that he realized he loves her. Suddenly the feeling simply was there and there was no denying it. It was a part of him like the need to breathe, so natural and necessary. And as soon as he became aware of the feeling, he also knew that could never tell her.

He has watched her, sometimes, almost desperately seeking for signs that she might feel the same. She treats him as a friend, gives him liberties that her elder brother disapproves of. She smiles and she laughs, and she never looks at him the way he wishes she would. He really should be pleased that she doesn't. As long as the feelings are his alone, she is not in danger. If she returned them, it would doom them both. But despite the danger he finds himself wishing for the impossible more and more often.

He calls her 'my lady'. Not only because it is his duty, but because he wishes she could be his in the way he knows he will always be hers.

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Yet another note: I had to get this mess out of my system before starting to write a longer fic on Aeducan/Gorim. It will hopefully be less angsty, and it won't be related to this fic, although I will be using the idea that Gorim didn't choose to serve Lady Aeducan, but was more or less ordered to do so. Reviews for this fic are welcome, and if you enjoyed this (or at least didn't completely hate it), please check out the longer story once I manage to get it going.