Chapter 38: I like you.

Can u guys plz send power stone to this fanfic so it can come in ranking.😗😗

**

The only difference was that two of their company were in an alternate state of being.

The Legion managed to get through the Vale without any more incidents with the mountain clans. Even after they crossed over into the Riverlands, they did not look back until the mountains were far off in the distance. Even then, they did not stop.

Gregor did not allow the company to rest until they were well past the Twins. When they were nearly in sight of the Neck, they finally stopped to make camp.

Gregor planned to turn in early that night. It would be the most pleasant night's sleep he had gotten in a long while.

However, before he went to bed, he decided to talk to someone. For the past couple days, an issue of a far more personal nature had been occupying a large part of Gregor's mind.

He had resolved to push it aside until the problem of Littlefinger was settled. Now that it was, he could focus on the personal affair.

In the late evening, shortly after supper, Gregor went to Dacey Mormont's tent. He lightly tapped on the front of it.

A moment later, Dacey responded with "Yes?"

"Are you decent?" Gregor queried.

"Depends on what you mean by 'decent,'" she cockily rejoined.

"Are you presentable?" he clarified with a scoff, "Specifically, presentable enough that you would face me?"

"Yeah, I suppose so," she declared, "Come on inside."

Gregor pulled open the flap and stepped into the tent.

As an officer of the Legion without Banners, Dacey had a respectably large tent.

A table, a couple of chairs, and a small bed could fit in there, and it was so tall that even Gregor could stand in it without crouching.

It was also big enough to accommodate two people. Not that its size would give Gregor any impure ideas.

But Dacey's current apparel might have done so.

The Bear Island girl had been in the process of undressing for bed. She was clad only in a loose pair of breeches and a corset.

This corset was very different from the type women generally wore with dresses. It had been designed specifically for Dacey to enhance her form in combat situations.

The corset was tied securely around her chest, but it was also low-cut. It accentuated her full, round breasts very nicely, and it emphasized her womanly curves. Had it ended two inches lower, Dacey's nipples would have been on display.

"This is 'presentable?'" Gregor uttered, trying not to snicker. Or to stare.

Dacey smirked and pointed out "You just said presentable enough that I'd be able to face you."

Gregor chuckled at that and mumbled humorously "Clearly, 'shame' is not in your vocabulary."

As it happened, all Gregor wore at that time was a leather doublet and a pair as trousers.

So it was not as though he was clad in much more than Dacey. But at least he wore enough that he could go outside without turning any heads.

Dacey sat down at one of the chairs at the table. She gestured for Gregor to take the other chair. Once he did, he gazed off to the side, as though lost in contemplation.

He just sat and wondered how to open up the conversation. For once, he was not coming to Dacey to discuss strategies, battle plans, or training schedules. Instead, he would be conversing on a more intimate topic.

Flirting had never been one of Gregor's strong suits. He was well-acquainted with the opposite sex, but he was not very good at coming up with pickup lines.

Ultimately, Gregor decided to open the discussion by speaking of a totally unrelated topic. He clasped his hands together and stated candidly "So… that business with Littlefinger… it went well, did it not?"

"I'll say it did," Dacey conceded with a smile.

Gregor looked to her and murmured "Tell me truthfully; do you think we did right?"

"Do you?" she countered.

"Yes, I do," Gregor revealed, "But I care about your thoughts, as well."

Dacey gave a nod and proclaimed "Baelish dishonored a Great Lord's daughter, he manipulated her into boosting his status in the world, he would have continued to do so at the expense of those around them, and there is every possibility that the realm would have suffered because of his greed. We may have spared the realm a great amount of agony. So, yes. Killing Baelish was the right thing to do."

Gregor was pleased to know that she agreed with him. The opinions of his colleagues were very meaningful and important to him. He enquired in interest "Anything you would have done differently?"

Dacey answered him with "Well, the only way the outcome would have been better is if it produced no casualties on our part. I know our losses were minimal, but they were still incurred. You lost three of your men-at-arms."

Gregor frowned slightly and muttered "True, I'm afraid. None of them were among my top officers, but they were good men. They had something that made each of them unique. Umrich was always making people laugh, Abbert was a fantastic archer, and Mylo never hesitated to comfort a hurt friend."

"All desirable qualities," Dacey commented, "Too bad they had to fall in battle."

Gregor nodded his head. Right then, he spotted an opportunity to transition into a more sensual topic. He looked to Dacey and stated "On the subject of the battle… I didn't get a chance to properly show my appreciation to you for saving my life."

"You did say 'thanks,'" Dacey humorously recounted.

"Actually, I wanted to show my appreciation with more than words," Gregor informed her.

She rested against her arm and queried "How so?"

Gregor then leaned forward, gently took ahold of Dacey's shoulders, and kissed her softly on both cheeks.

The Bear Island girl was stunned by this display of affection, but she did not reject Gregor's advances.

"I wouldn't mind that form of appreciation from you, Gregor," Dacey told him with a smile, "But isn't that behavior usually reserved for married or betrothed couples?"

"That's another thing I wanted to talk to you about," he enlightened her. He sat back in his chair and said inquiringly "Are you… involved in any potential marriage contracts?"

Normally, people did not ask questions of such a personal nature, but Dacey had never been one to shy away from matters that were generally private.

She informed the Mountain "I'm not in any haste to get wed. Even so, my mother has suggested a few possible matches for me."

"Any that really stood out?" Gregor queried in interest.

Dacey thought about that, and then she recounted "First, she proposed Lord Rickard Karstark's eldest son, Harrion. The idea of being Lady of Karhold did sound appealing, but nothing was made definite. My mother also proposed Robett Glover, Robin Flint, and Wendel Manderly. For a while, she even considered Benjen Stark. Then he went off and joined the Night's Watch. Oh, well. A Stark is probably too high above in status for a Mormont, anyway."

"Bullshit," Gregor debated, "The Starks may be the great house of the North, but your house is just as honorable and praiseworthy. Saying you're not good enough for a Stark or anyone else is ludicrous."

"Well, thank you for saying that," Dacey told him gratefully.

Gregor smiled at her again. Then he enquired "Did your mother ever consider anyone from outside the North?"

"No," the bear girl disclosed, "Not yet, that is."

"What about you?" Gregor proposed, "Did the thought of marrying outside the North ever enter your mind?"

"For most of my life, no," Dacey claimed, "But recently, I got the idea to do so."

"When was this?" Gregor inquired.

"Shortly after I enlisted in the Legion," Dacey illuminated.

It was not difficult for Gregor to imagine what – or who – had planted that thought in Dacey's mind. So far, they had spoken with some degree of subtlety. But neither Gregor nor Dacey was fooling themselves or each other.

Gregor let out a slow breath and remarked "The other night, I told you what I would view as the ideal characteristics for my future bride to have. Now, I'd like you to do the same. If you had any say over what your future groom will be like, what would he be like?"

Dacey took a minute to think about that. Then she professed "I'd want him to be strong and firm. But he wouldn't have to resort to violence or threats in order to get people to follow and respect him. Hopefully, he'd also be rational, sensible, and smart. I'd deem myself especially lucky if he allowed me to continue training and fighting alongside him and his soldiers. I wouldn't want him to be in any rush to have children, but I'd definitely want him to be open to having them, too. However, to me, the most important feature is… is…"

"Go on," Gregor beckoned her.

Dacey released a soft sigh and admitted "It's the same as yours. What matters to me most is not his status or his strength, but whether or not he likes me. I'd hate to get caught in a loveless marriage."

'Then it appears we're at an advantage.'

Gregor smirked and uttered slyly "It just so happens that I like you. Very much, in fact."

****

Add this fanfic to you library and send power stones.