So I asked, and you guys spoke. Shenny seemed to be the common factor (letting me know that all my subscribers are TBBT fans), but one idea stood out to me. It was anonymously submitted and it said 'Tbbt in a fantasy world knights and dragons'. I love that idea! Although my knowledge of medieval times is limited to what I remember from high school and BBC's Merlin, I thought I would give it a try! Please forgive any inaccuracies, and feel free to correct me. I plan on this being quite a long story, so it might take a while between updates!

Fandom: The Big Bang Theory (not a cross over)

Genre: Romance

Pairing: Sheldon/Penny

Rating: M

Summary: Penny is the only daughter of King Wyatt, and is destined to marry Price Arthur of Camelot, but she is strong minded, and has her eye on the court's adviser. Shenny AU/OOC medieval style.

Chapter One

"My Lady, you really must stand still." Amelia fussed as she pulled the strings on Penny's corset even tighter. Penny didn't understand why wearing such things were necessary. Men didn't wear them, and they conquered lands. Of course Penny would probably never do such a thing, she was a lady, and ladies never got to be independent or ground breaking. Very few saw her as anything more than a pretty face that was to marry their future king. She supposed she should have been honored to be betrothed to Prince Arthur, he was one of the most eligible prince's in the land. Still, she had no romantic interest in him, and it was no secret that he and Princess Guinevere have been caught in a passionate embrace on more than one occasion.

"Really Amy, must you make it so tight?" Penny asked as she looked over her shoulder at her lady in waiting. Amy had grown to be Penny's best friend over the years, and was more than used to the informalities Penny dare not show in front of others.

"Penelope, you know your father would be cross if you weren't properly dressed. And don't you want to look nice for the prince? I hear he's quite handsome."

"Hardly." Penny scoffed as Amy tied the lacing. "My want is to look nice for no man. I do not see why we must be paraded around like a prize-winning carcass. Are women so inferior to men?"

"According to them." Amy smiled as she helped slip a pale blue dress over Penny's neatly styled curls.

The two women finished in silence, Penny mulling over her own thoughts and Amy too focused in her task to make small talk. Amy was a good woman, but backed down too easily for Penny's liking. How was she to fully express her vexation with men if Amy did not feel the same way? As they stepped from her room, a horn sounded in the distance, marking the arrival of Prince Arthur's arrival. He would be at the castle within the hour. Entering the throne room, Penny curtsied to her father before approaching. Everyone had turned out for the Prince's arrival, and they all seemed to be worried. Did they have so little faith in her? To be fair, she did not have the best history when it came to not insulting royalty.

"Remember what we discussed Penelope…" Her father said, his eyes darting sideways to meet her own.

"Do not speak unless spoken to, and do not offend the Pendragon's in any way."

"That's correct." The king's eyes once again turned towards his adviser as they talked in hushed voices.

Sheldon – her father's most trusted adviser – allowed his eyes to meet hers before turning to the King. Sheldon's father had been the court adviser before him, and his father before that. Sheldon and Penny had grown up together, and although Sheldon was always afraid of the consequences, he would follow Penny on any of her adventures. They had been the best of friends until Sheldon's father passed, leaving Sheldon the job of royal adviser. He grew more serious after that, and would only act formally with Penny.

She couldn't blame him, or her father for that matter. The men of her kingdom were under more pressure as of late. There had been a dragon attack on the outer most villages of their kingdom, and resources were running low. The knights were down to a handful, and the kingdom was growing poor. According to her father, a marriage joining their kingdom and Camelot was their only hope for the survival of their people.

Penny was only half listening when Prince Arthur entered; he had very little to say to her anyway. She knew she was just a prop in a business deal, so why bother pretending it was anything more than it was? For the rest of the day, she followed Arthur and her father like a good lady should. She sat up straights, and minded her manners. She was only mildly aware of the contract being signed that would sign her over like some kind of property. She loved her father, but she did not agree with his choices. She would have ruled the kingdom fine on her own. She had ideas for trading that would boost their economy and allies. Still, she had no right voicing them.

"It is settled." Her father said clasping Arthur's hand. "You will be married in a year's time to my daughter." Arthur's smile was forced and practiced, but no one expected them to like the situation.

"I am glad we were able to come to an agreement." He released Wyatt's hand and took Penny's, kissing the back gently. "And I look forward to our union."

It made her sick.

Usually the light tapping of the large oak tree's branch against her window would have lulled Penny off to sleep already, but she lay wide awake in her large bed. Soon, she would share a bed with someone – not just anyone – her husband. There was a restlessness in her bones, something that chilled to the very core of her, a foreboding that warned the very primal instincts within her. This was a mistake, and she would have to live with it. Panic rose in her throat like bile, causing a cool sweat to bead her brow. Suddenly, her oversized room felt too small. The chill in her bones grew although the room seemed hotter. The urge to run hit her like a wave, crashing around her and disorienting her. She didn't even realize she had gotten out of bed until she was kneeling at her wardrobe.

Being as quiet as possible – though it was unlikely anyone would hear her through the thick stone walls – Penny dug her nails in the wooden panel at the bottom of her wardrobe. It had been added by Howard – the kingdom's blacksmith. He too grew up with Penny, and helped her escape her obligations any way he could. Carefully removing the panel – something she had not done in years – Penny reached in and pulled out a pair of breeches and a man's tunic. Her father would be mortified if he knew Sheldon had given them to her all those years ago. She quickly slipped off her nightgown and pulled the clothing on along with her riding shoes. It had taken quite some convincing for her father to allow those alone.

Quietly slipping from her room, Penny grabbed a torch off the wall. The guards wouldn't be protecting the hall – rather, the whole wing. As long as she did not give them reason to come running, they would keep their distance (her father's orders to protect her virtue of course). Counting the doorways, she waited until the fifteenth one before quietly slipping in. The old hinges creaked as she shut it behind her, causing her to wince. Her eyes shot over to the bed, but there was no movement. Carefully, she made her way over to the sleeping figure.

"Sheldon!" She hissed when she was close enough. What she had not been expecting, was for him to shoot up with a near yell. Luckily, her hand settled over his lips before he could alert the guards.

"Penny?" He questioned once he could get his bearings. His short dark hair was mused in the firelight, and his deep blue eyes hardly opened enough to identify her. "What are you doing?"

With a smile, Penny leaned in to whisper a phrase that had got them in trouble a million times in their youth. "I'm going somewhere amazing, and I'm taking you with me."

Sheldon had stiffened up when he heard those words – famous last words for Penny. Still, she had managed to get him to agree and sneak out of the castle like they used to when they were young. They stole one horse, knowing the guards would surly notice two missing. Penny held the reigns, since she had more riding experience, and Sheldon held on to her shoulders, not daring touch her anywhere else.

"I remember this place." Sheldon said as the horse came to a stop by a moonlit lake. "You almost drowned here when we were young." He hopped off the horse and carefully helped her down.

"And you saved me."

"I would hardly call screaming for Sir Leonard saving you."

"He wouldn't have been knighted if not for that. He owes you his title." Penny smiled up at the tall man and bumped his arm with her own. He froze immediately, causing Penny to sigh. "Will you never again look at me the way you used to?" She asked with a frown.

"We are not the people we used to be Penelope…" There was a sadness in his eyes as he looked over the clear lake. His skin seemed to glow in the moonlight.

"We could be…"

"No. We could never be." There was more than one meaning behind his words.

She placed a delicate hand on his arm, causing him to look at her. "You kissed me once."

"We were young."

"We were happy-"

"We were foolish." He shook his head and tried to look forward again, but Penny stepped into his line of vision.

"We were happy…" She said again, placing a hand against his cheek. His eyes fluttered shut, allowing himself to give into her touch, if only just for a moment. "Kiss me again Sheldon…"

"I cannot."

"As your princess, I demand it." The corner of her lips twitched slightly as he appraised her. "As your friend, I ask for it." She added after a moment.

"Just one last kiss?" He asked steeping forward, allowing her arms to rest on his broad shoulders.

"Just one." She breathed as his face neared hers.

"And if I cannot stop?"

"Then I will be all the more grateful." She finished by stepping on her toes and pressing her lips against his thin ones. There was comfort in his kiss, something soft and wonderful that she thought about every day. It was home to her, a home she would be ripped from in a year's time.

There will be more to come! Hope you liked it!

Reviews are loved

~AAH