Roseanne stood on her toes to better see the king and his colorful retinue as they approached the small village of Ashton. Flags flew in the breeze, dust formed a cloud covering much of the country road. A trumpet was playing to herald their arrival.
"They'll be staying here for a full week," Roseanne's friend Sarah said. "All those knights here for a full week! And if you can win the attention of one, he might make you his bride. Imagine that!"
Roseanne smiled. "I will win the attention of one, provided he is good looking. If not, why should I bother? I would rather have a kind heart and a handsome face than a chest full of riches."
The king was old and looked too heavy even for his sturdy horse. The noblemen around him were much the same, with flushed cheeks and dirty mustaches. Roseanne frowned at them in disgust. It was as she suspected; the stories about knights were greatly exaggerated.
"If one of these knights is chosen as my father's guest, he'll eat all of our food stores," she said. "And rather than trying to win his attention, I would stay as far away as possible."
"What's a little food compared to the glory of spending a moment in a knight's company?" Sarah sighed and waved at the passing knights. "Imagine their bravery, their honor."
Roseanne frowned. "I would wish to meet a knight like that, but these do not look like the knights I had imagined. In either case, I have to return home. Mother needs me to help prepare for our noble guest."
Sarah nodded absentmindedly, her focus still on the passing knights. She left her standing there and walked back to her family's farm, located a while away from the village on the brink of a forest lake.
As her parent's only child, Roseanne had many more tasks than Sarah. She was busy for the whole afternoon, all thoughts of the knights gone from her mind. Only when the clatter of hooves sounded against the country road did she remember that they were about to have a guest. She stood on the farm's courtyard together with her mother, prepared to greet her father and the knight who would stay with them for the week.
Her eyes fell first on her father, and she knew something was wrong. Then they wandered to the knight, she was startled. He was neither fat nor old, but young, slender and more handsome than any man in the village. His hair was the color of wheat in late summer, and his blue eyes were polite and kind.
"Roseanne, Lilly, this is Sir Thomas Artigan. He will be staying with us for the duration of the king's visit."
Roseanne wanted to ask her father what the problem was, but she bowed politely and held her tongue.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Knight," her mother said.
"Please, call me Thomas." The knight dismounted his horse, a slight blush spreading on his cheeks. His armor clamored as he made a quick bow. "I am an ordinary man who was blessed with a title, nothing more."
Roseanne's heart beat violently inside her chest, and her breath came in short gasps. Handsome and kind? Where in the world would she be able to find such a man again if this one slipped from her grasp?
"Thomas," she said, "can I offer you some refreshment? And please, do let me help you out of that armor."
Thomas nodded and followed her to the room prepared for him inside the small farmhouse. She undid the leather straps and dismantled the armor, making sure to let her fingers linger on his body while doing so. When she removed his leg plates, she gave him a polite and yet inviting smile.
He returned her smile, and though it was polite it was also a clear dismissal. Roseanne sighed, knowing she would have to change her strategy.
They ate the meal under polite conversation about the weather and the state of the country. Once they were finished, her father stood up and cleared his throat.
"I have been told the summer market in Ridgeville has been moved forward," he said. "It will take place on the day after tomorrow."
Roseanne gasped. "But father, you have to go to that market, or else we will have no wool for the winter."
"I know," her father said. "And Lilly must accompany me to help me with the chickens I intend to sell. As you can see, this gives me cause for concern. Roseanne, would it be too much to ask that you see to our guest alone?"
"Of course not, father," Roseanne said. She forced herself to remain calm and composed, but on the inside she felt giddy with excitement. Alone, with Thomas? She couldn't have prayed for a better opportunity to win his attention.
"I apologize, Sir Thomas," her father said. "My wife and I were blessed with only one child, and she happens to be a woman. I hope you will trust me when I say that she is most competent, however. When it became clear to me that I would have no sons, I took it upon me to raise her as one. She has all the talents of a man in the body of a woman."
"I am most confident she will provide for me," Thomas said with a smile. "And let me apologize for the inconvenience. You are most kind to let me stay here despite your difficult situation."
Roseanne's father smiled, and the conversation moved on to other topics. It was soon time for bed, and Roseanne spent all night thinking about the knight, his strong, muscled body and kind smile.
Her parents left at dawn the next day, and Thomas rode to join the king in his hunting games only a short while after. Roseanne tended to the animals all day and cleaned the house to make it as inviting and comfortable as possible. Then she waited for Thomas to return home.
He did so while the sun was still a while over the horizon. His shirt was stained with sweat and his face muddy. Roseanne hurried up to him and grabbed his horse's reins.
"Sir Thomas," she said. "Let me heat up a bath for you."
"I'm quite alright, thank you," Thomas said. "But will you tend to my horse, please? He's tired after today's hunt and could use a good wash."
Roseanne swallowed her disappointment and led the horse to the stable. When she had cleaned and fed the beautiful animal, she returned to find Thomas already washed in the lake. He gave her a polite smile and sat at the table she had prepared for him.
"I'm very curious to hear of the life of a knight," she said and sat down next to him. She kept her chest high to show her full breasts from the best angle.
"There's not much to say," Thomas said with a shrug. "We ride with the king and offer him company and support. Occasionally he will ask us to help him out with disputes in the country, and if there would be a war I would be expected to join him. But there hasn't been a war in these lands for many years."
"And do you like being a knight?" She leaned closer and let her leg brush against his.
Thomas shrugged. His eyes were fixed on the table before him, and he didn't give her breasts so much as a glance.
She continued trying to make conversation, but Thomas kept dismissing her invitations. Soon the sun set outside and he went for bed. Roseanne remained by the table, considering joining him in his bed. In the end she decided not to, worried that it might offend him in some way. She would have to think of other ways to seduce him.
The next day, Thomas left early to fulfill his duties with the king. Roseanne tended to the farm until late evening, when there was still no sight of him. With a sigh, she went for a walk and picked some freshly smelling flowers to put on the table. Before returning to the farm, she realized her whole body was covered in a layer of sweat and dust from the day's work. Instead of returning home, she undressed by the side of the lake and went naked into its cool water.
The evening was warm, and the lake a mirror reflecting the surrounding forest. She sighed as her legs submerged, and then gasped in pleasure as the water touched her between her legs. The sensation brought Thomas to her mind, and she bit her lip as her body filled with desire.
He was the most attractive man she had seen without a doubt. He was calm and kind, as well as polite in every way. He was the man she had dreamed of all her life, and all she wanted was to feel his body against hers.
Still, he had rejected her time and time again. Her body ached in frustration. If only he could curve her breasts with those strong, callused hand of his, then ran his hand along her sides.
She mimicked the motions she wished he would make. Her hands cupped her breasts, and she squeezed her nipples gently with thumb and forefinger. Bending her neck backwards, she let a sigh of pleasure escape her lips. Slowly, she ran her hand down her stomach, to the triangle of hair between her legs. The water was soft and cool against her burning vagina. When her fingers brushed gently against her aching clit, she couldn't help but let a gasp escape her lips.
She submerged herself in the water with one hand on her sex and the other still cupping her breast. Then she stood up again, letting the water drip from her nipples and her skin cool in a gentle breeze. She pressed her fingers gently inside her vagina and shivered in pleasure.
A sound from the edge of the lake made her spin around. There, among the bushes and shrubs, stood a stark naked Thomas.
Roseanne could see that his penis stood erect, although the knight did his best to hide it.
